We see it every year ... lines extending around the block ... shoppers camping out at storefronts the night before ... die hard deal-seekers willing to go all out to score some of the best deals of the year. But well before Black Friday ad circulars appear on doorsteps or in mailboxes across the country, the deals are "leaked" online. In fact, searches on AOL for "
Black Friday Ads" always spike this time of year. The ads themselves end up on sale spotting sites like
BlackFriday.FM,
WalletPop.com and
BlackFriday.Gottadeal.com.
WalletPop.com tracks the best Black Friday deals.
Editors on these sites(and help on our own end with go-to guy Jeff Corbett) invest a ton of time checking prices from store-to-store and site-to-site, posting the best deals – often with coupon codes & printable coupons to save you even more. You can search the deals by store name or category: electronics, apparel, sporting goods, etc. The info. can be really helpful in figuring out which way to point your mouse or your car.
HOT BLACK FRIDAY DEALSWalmart - Sub $200.00 laptop; 100 toys $10:
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Emachines brand laptop for $198.00.
- Walmart will also have "
100 toys priced at $10," including in-demand items like Barbie dolls and action figures.
Walmart is offering 100 toys prices at $10.00 each.
Target - 32" TV for $246.00; $3.00 appliances: - In store only -
$246.00 for a 32" Flat Screen LCD HDTV -- this beats Walmarts best price on a 32" flat screen by $2.00 and is $180.00 off the original price.
- Also rumored are
$3 appliances including a 12-cup coffee maker, sandwich maker, toaster and slow cooker.
Best Buy - Netbook deal $179.99; hot video game discounts:-
Compaq Netbook for $179.99. Netbooks are a very hot item this year.
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Madden 10 Video Game for $34.99 - PS3 or XBox - regularly $59.99. Other top video games at similar prices.
Best Buy Black Friday Netbook computer deal - $179.99.
Toys R Us - Power Wheels Vehicles $59.99; Hot Wheels bundle $5.00:- Power Wheels ride on vehicles. Choose from
Barbie or a Boys' version $59.99 (40% off - originally $99.99). This is a 12 Midnight to 1pm Black Friday deal.
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Hot Wheels 10 car packs for $4.99 - that's 50% off and makes a great stocking stuffer.
Sears - Huge 50% off Tools Sale:- Including many
tools for under $10.
Old Navy - $15.00 Kids' Winter Coats:
Kids
"Frost Free" Winter Coats for $15.00 - regularly $39.50 to $49.50.
Hot Links:
Black Friday Shopping Specials - A roundup of top Black Friday deals.
Black Friday Toolbar - Keep up with the latest Black Friday deals and news wherever you are on the web.
Free Shipping Offers ... Going, Going, Gone!"Free" or "flat rate" offers are widely available this time of year and can be a make or break promotion for e-tailer and major mail order catalogs. Most free shipping offers do come with conditions, i.e., spend $50.00 to qualify. So, if you have two $25.00 items to purchase, you are better off finding a site where you can purchase both vs. spreading those purchases out over two sites or from two different catalogs and forgoing the shipping cost advantage. Amazon has changed the paradigm with it's PRIME program – for $79 a year you get Free Two-Day Shipping on more than one million in-stock items. The "All-You-Can-Eat" shipping equivalent. No minimum purchase required. If you order a lot throughout the year, this pays for itself quickly and is a tremendous convenience. It takes all the hesitation out of making small impulse buys (for better or worse!;)
Pounce Before Hot Items "Sell Out"
Sites tend to make the most changes overnight, when there is less traffic and it's less disruptive – think 6 am EST. You can sometimes beat other online shoppers to the punch by snapping up hot deals early in the morning, before they sell out. Some sites even indicate the "risk" of an item selling out as "high" or " low." For the most part, an online item is not yours until you actually checkout. It's NOT enough to have it in your shopping cart. A lot of folks get burned by this & are disappointed when they get to the end of the checkout process and find the item is "No Longer Available" or the availability date is suddenly weeks away when the item was initially listed as "In Stock." Given this reality, it's a smart idea to register with sites you shop at often. This can speed up the whole checkout process and guard against having someone pass you in the virtual checkout aisle.
Looking Ahead to Cyber Monday ... If Black Friday doesn't produce the killer buy you are searching for, there's always
Cyber Monday to look forward to. More to come on that, including the top Cyber Monday deals ... stay tuned for future posts.