More than 40% of Americans will take back at least one gift after the holidays (Source: NRF). Here's quick video seen on news websites across the country & some corresponding notes + resources ....

There's no "one-size-fits-all" returns policy. While most stores offer shoppers the standard 30 days for returns, policies can vary by retailer. Watch for 14 day return deadlines on items like computers and other electronics. And whether you bought a gift in store or online, may also affect the returns procedure. If you did buy online, some retailers will require you to mail the item back, while others allow in-store returns. WalletPop.com has a terrific round-up with details by retailer.

Retailers more liberal with holiday returns: If you show up at the store to make a return, chances are you are also there to do more shopping, especially taking advantage of post-holiday sales. Retailers realize this, and if the past is any indication, return policies tend to be more lenient after the holidays. In fact, about one-third (28%) of retailers say their return policy is more flexible during the holidays than it is during the course of the year (Source: NRF Survey – Oct 2009). Merchants should do their best to work with you.

SNOWED IN? RUN OUT OF TIME? HERE'S WHERE TO CLICK IN THE CLUTCH ... MINUTES MATTER IF YOU HAVE YOUR EYE ON GETTING SOMETHING UNDER THE TREE IN TIME. LOG ON & YOU MAY BE IN LUCK ... WE'LL TELL YOU WHERE TO LOOK, IF THERE'S A CATCH & FILL YOU IN ON SOME 11th HOUR GIFT IDEAS TO SAVE FACE & FULFILL EXPECTATIONS ... READ ON FOR SEVEN STEALTH MOVES .... DONE CORRECTLY, THEY'LL NEVER KNOW YOU WAITED TILL THE LAST MINUTE! ..

SHIPPING DEADLINES ARE APPROACHING FOR ONLINE SHOPPERS ... WHEN DO FREE OR DISCOUNTED SHIPPING DEALS BEGIN TO EXPIRE?

As seen this morning on The Early Show (CBS), we took a look at some unique and hard-to-find holiday gifts. Read more


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Regina Lewis shows The Early Show's Harry Smith how to have a holiday on the cheap by getting great holiday gifts for free through credit card rewards and other methods. Read story


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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

In what is being billed as the holiday season of the bargain hunter, your holiday budget may be bigger than you think. There are creative ways to stretch your dollar and uncover some hidden buying power you may not even know you have ... We're talking about payment options other than cash on the CBS EARLY SHOW this morning. The secret is rethinking what "currency" means.

1. CREDIT CARD REWARDS: Redeem for Merchandise

a) Discover has a Cashback Bonus program. Members can redeem their Cashback Bonus for gift cards from over 100 top retailers including: Brookstone, Fandango, Gap, Food Locker, FAO Schwarz, JCPenney, iTunes, Macys, Old Navy, Overstock.com, Red Envelope, Sears, Sephora, Bloomingdales, Blue Nile , HP, Lane Bryant and many others. (You do need an account to browse the online mall.)

b) American Express rewards. You can earn 1 Membership Rewards^® point for virtually every dollar you spend. 1,000 points equal about $5 when redeemed for merchandise. Use your points online at shopamex.com where you can but things like Nintendo Wii games for example. A $48.00 Wii game can be had for just under 9600 points. You can exponentially increase the rate at which you earn points by taking advantage of merchants offering 3-5X points for every dollar spent.

2. AIRLINE MILES
You may not have enough miles for a round-trip flight, but you can also redeem airline miles for holiday gifts. United has a Merchandise Rewards website where you can trade points for anything from cookware to watches to electronics. United Merchandise Rewards

Same goes for some hotel rewards programs like Hilton HHonors

3. TAPPING INTO UNUSED GIFT CARDS
If you have yet to redeem unused gift cards from last holiday season, you're not alone – one of four gift-card recipients have yet to redeem a card they received in 2008 (Source: Consumer Reports). We're not suggesting you re-gift the old gift cards (that's your call), but what you can do is swap them for cash online on sites like www.giftcards.com. Expect to get back between 65% of the gift card's value.

4. OLD GADGETS = NEW BUYING POWER
Electronics will be hot gifts this holiday season & you may be able to cash in by recycling some of the old gadgets you are replacing. As part of their new trade-in and recycling program, Sears is offering gift cards for your old electronics – think MP3 players, digital cameras, cell phones – even old video games and DVDs. We've had great success with this model in our home.

Log onto sears.gazelle.com, where you'll be prompted to enter brand and model information, indicate whether the device works or is damaged, and answer questions about condition and the presence of various accessories. Then, click 'calculate,' and up pops the trade-in value. EXAMPLE: A used, three year old Cannon digital camera in "good" condition is worth $61.00. In "fair" condition, it's worth $53.00. If you're satisfied with the offer, the company will provide free shipping and packaging to return the equipment; and you'll receive your Sears gift card in a week or so. As a special holiday promotion, Sears says participants will receive a 5 percent bonus over the actual trade-in value through Dec. 31. Customers can redeem Sears gift cards online or in store.

Best Buy is also offering gift cards for used electronics. They have an online estimator so you can see how much your stuff is worth. You can then print a prepaid shipping label from the Best Buy website. You can also make trade in's at Best Buy stores for select items like laptops and iPods, if you originally purchased the items at Best Buy. There are also in-store kiosks where you can trade in previously viewed movies.

IF BLACK FRIDAY DIDN'T PRODUCE THE KILLER BUY YOU'RE SEARCHING FOR, THERE'S ALWAYS CYBER MONDAY ... "Cyber Monday" is the Monday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 30th this year). Retailers see this day as their first opportunity to target holiday shoppers who may have window-shopped over the weekend ... When the kids go back to school and they hit their computers at home -- and dare I say -- at work. This year, there'll be a ton of CYBER MONDAY DEALS. Here's where to find CYBER MONDAY DEALS and some Do's & Don'ts. The biggest winners so far? Department store websites: Up 151%. Neiman Marcus is currently offering free shipping & gorgeous free gIft wrapping too. Can't beat the presentation & the packaging alone is tremendous value.

IS CYBER MONDAY THE BIGGEST ONLINE SHOPPING DAY OF THE YEAR?

Just as Black Friday isn't really the biggest offline shopping day of the year (it's actually the w-end before Christmas), Cyber Monday is a term coined by the National Retail Federation and while it's certainly one of the biggest shopping days of the year, the biggest volume day usually falls around Dec 14 one of the last days for standard shipping. But, every year, the Cyber Monday stakes get higher and so is the potential upside for retailers and consumers who take advantage of the fact fourth quarter is make or break for most retailers -- they're pulling out all the stops to get your business, especially online which could prove to be a bright spot in their portfolio. Big players like JC Penney expect online sales to be its fastest-growing area. Kohls is predicting a 30% increase as result of aggressive online advertising. And, Amazon continues to post some amazing numbers.


In terms of the Internet's influence .... Here's the biggie. Beyond sales online today & throughout the season, the web is predicted to influence 1 out of 4 holiday sales (Source: NRF Survey) as consumers look online for product reviews, deals, coupons, price comparisons and gift ideas -- particularly at the more-popular-than-ever $25 an under price point -- which are on the frontscreens right now of almost every major Internet service, shopping site and magazine site.


IT SEEMS LIKE PRICES ARE CHANGING ALL THE TIME. HOW CAN I REALLY BE SURE AM GETTING THE BEST PRICE?

Dynamic pricing on the web enables retailers to slash and manipulate prices on the fly, so the price-cutting and discounting is even more ferocious. To really up the ante, some sites have deals of the day with tickers counting down the time they'll be available. If you're after a certain price, you can sign up to be notified via alerts when it hits your mark from sites like www.pricegrabber.com and www.priceprotectr.com

The key is knowing a good deal when you see one & that means knowing the price it usually goes for and is going for elsewhere. That's where price comparison shopping comes in by using shopping search on major shopping sites like AOL & Yahoo Shopping and price comparison engines like PriceGrabber.com. This single step can save you -- on average -- as much as 35% on a single item.

COUPON CODES WERE THE RAGE LAST YEAR ... ARE THEY STILL KEY & WHERE CAN YOU FIND THEM?

Leaving the promotional code box empty. If they're asking for one, that means it exists. Search for the code on sites like couponcabin.com, grab it & then check out. Also, if you get the mail order catalog for a site you're shopping at, thumb through the pages -- they may have inserted codes in there too.

SHOULD YOU BE SUSPECT IF YOU DON'T SEE A PRICE LISTED? WHY DO THEY SOMETIMES MAKE YOU WAIT TILL YOU ADD IT TO YOUR CART?

The best kept secret is actually something that throws a lot of people off -- It's NOT seeing the price of an item before it is added to their cart. You get -- understandably -- skeptical. It's a real issue & Amazon is working on it. Here's the backstory according to an Amazon spokesperson we connected with: some items require you to add them to your shopping cart BEFORE you get to see the price. Consumers, frustrated by hidden prices and wary of hidden agendas, might worry they will have to go through a long process to find out the price, but they don't. And if you just move on to the next product, you could miss out on real savings.

These products and others, are affected by manufacturer advertising restrictions whereby some manufacturers consider an online listing for a product the equivalent to media advertising. Just as brick and mortar stores cannot pick the prices in their distributed advertising/circulars, Amazon, in some instances, cannot display a price that is lower than the manufacturer's suggested retail price. Whenever you have to add something to your cart, it's probably a GOOD THING. You'll likely get a great deal.

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.


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 DEALS

Walmart - Sub $200.00 laptop; 100 toys $10:
- 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.


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.
- Madden 10 Video Game for $34.99 - PS3 or XBox - regularly $59.99. Other top video games at similar prices.


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.
- 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.

It's a question we hear often: Are sites really offering good deals online now – or am I better off waiting until Black Friday or maybe even Cyber Monday to do my shopping? Truth is, there are Black Friday deals online right now and deal-spotting sites like WalletPop.com & GottaDeal.com have done a lot of the hunting around for shoppers, posting a links to Black Fridays deals already live and available online. These sales are many of the same ones you'll see in stores and online come Black Friday. For example, Sears.com is offering a 50" flat-screen HDTV for $699.99. This is the same deal rumored to be one of their Black Friday "early bird" specials.

Sale Mail (Email)
Retailer email newsletters or "Sale Mail" can also be valuable. In technology terms it's called having something "pushed" to you. So, instead of having to search for them, things like coupon codes and promo offers come to you. By the way, this can also pay dividends throughout the year, because they'll know your behavior and if you've identified yourself as a bargain shopper who takes advantages of coupons and promotions, they'll serve you up even more. If you purchase WITHOUT sales incentives, don't expect to top their list of people who get offered special deals. Essentially you've identified yourself as a full-price shopper & that's just fine with them!:)


Secret Sales
Then there are "secret" sales .... offers only VIPs get & signing up to receive newsletters can be a way to get in on that action or being "invited" to "members only" sales. Start-up designer sales sites like www.gilt.com are becoming increasingly popular. The sites market themselves as members-only shopping clubs.

We'll be talking HOT TOYS 2009 on MSNBC throughout the morning ... The overall trend is lower-price points. Surveys show parents of young kids are willing to forego almost anything, but delivering on a North Pole request. Walmart making it more practical. Last year, shocked the industry offering 10 popular toys at a $10 price point. They sold out. This year, they're upping the ante 10-fold, offering 100 toys for $10.

IT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR ... CABBAGE PATCH DOLLS, TICKLE ME ELMO ... THIS YEAR ROBOTIC HAMPSTERS INITIALLY INTENDED TO BE LESS THAN $10!

The "must have" toys have emerged ... The first, indeed, Zhu Zhu Pet Hampsters ... They can't keep them on the shelf at Toys R Us. Currently being bid up Amazon at roughly 4X initial retail price: Appeals to both boys & girls + every parent who ever said no to the real thing or was faced with cleaning the cage. No wonder it's a hit. The only outstanding issue: can they live up to the hype? They're cute for a few minutes, but might not be as "real" as kids expect.

NO MATTER WHAT YOU'RE SPENDING YOU CAN'T HELP BUT WANT YOUR GIFT TO REALLY STAND OUT ... WHAT'S YOUR BEST MOVE?

Something you can play that day. I call it the "12 noon mark" & the "3 pm deadline." Meaning did you start playing by 12 noon & do you still care by 3 pm? Let alone three weeks later ...

This one is destined to make the 12 noon mark: MIND FLEX. VIDEO: HERE

As for three weeks out, think timeless Beatles tunes to help make that PlayStation or Wii console in your basement make a comeback ....If the pattern holds, a lot of people wil sample it over the Thanksgiving Day w-end at home of relative & buy immediately thereafter.

DJ Hero is the big variable this year .... Remains to be seen whether consumer who shelled out hundreds of dollars last year for Guitar Hero consoles -- will spring for this too. Is certainly get rave reviews.

IS IT TRUE RETRO GAMES ARE MAKING A COMEBACK?

Sure & this reflects two trends: Nesting --- staying home & looking for stay-at-home entertainment (hence, the NetFlix, RedBox phenom) The ability for traditional brands to play into this sentiment is significant. Remember, it's a lot more expensive (takes advertising on-air & online) to build a new brand than resurrect a familiar name. Watch for Monopoly, Clue, Boggle to make a comeback with extensions -- mini versions to play in back seat of your car, digital versions for your laptop & phone ...

STOCKING STUFFERS CAN REALLY ADD UP ... HOW ARE PEOPLE WORKING AROUND THAT?

On the stocking stuffer side, you also see players like Dollar General leaning into same trend featuring nearly 200 toys priced at $5 or less. Shove some tissue paper in the bottom to get an over-filled effect.

IF YOU'RE PLANNING TO HAVE A LEANER CHRISTMAS, IS THAT A DISCUSSION YOU SHOUL D HAVE IN ADVANCE WITH YOUR KIDS?

Interestingly, this is a big debate. Depends on age of child. For tweens/teens, consensus is .... "yes." Err on side of managing expectations.

Enjoyed talking with stations across the country about pulling off Halloween on a budget. This weekend, we walked the talk and got together with friends + neighbors for pumpkin carving. Here's some of the information on sites referenced in the TV segments on stations, including 9NEWS.Com (NBC-Denver) & FOX-Detroit + photos from our personal shindig (an attempt at applying some of the tips!) A few people took home their seeds .... When looked at the overnight AOL Hot Search list, sure enough ... it's happening all over the country .... there's a surge in demand for what to do with pumpkin seeds ... The term landed in the #8 slot. You can even ROAST THEM.

Decorating on a Dime: www.ShelterPop.com Some neat inspiration here & pretty darn doable.

Here's what we dreamt up at our own home (pumpkins bought in bulk); "achievement" trophies from K2; & tents with LED Christmas lights from Sears. The nice guy from Sears who helped me with the purchase, explained the LED Energy Saver lights cost more, but are brighter. He was right. They really did the trick + love the look.

RELATED POST: PUMPKIN CARVING PARTY

MORE "AS SEEN ON TV"

Should I unplug things? savings-experiment That question and others answered here. They break down the eye-opening math. A lot of practical takeaways.

HOT Hampsters!: Where to Find Them. You can't make it up!

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Fun being at TODAY SHOW this week ... We're talking all-things-shopping ... Here are some links in case helpful. Lester seemed to enjoy Beatles Rock Band & special thanks to the folks from MTV who graciously helped make it all come together. Amy wasn't up for singing, but -- like every parent I speak with -- she was intrigued by the Zhu Zhu pet hamsters.

For starters, you're not seeing things ... Christmas merchandise is already on the shelves and the National Retail Federation says 40% of consumers are expected to start their holiday shopping BEFORE Halloween. So, what are the TRENDS driving this year's biggest retail season and what's YOUR best shopping game plan?

* Deemed "Christmas Creep" (as in "creeping up" on calendar).

* Crucial for retailers (season often accounts for 25-40% of annual sales).

You're not seeing things ... Christmas decorations and related items are out earlier this year and consumers are getting a jump on holiday shopping. In fact, 40% of shoppers say they'll start BEFORE Halloween. Retailers are banking on you not being able to wait & keeping lean inventory this year (they don't want to risk being stuck with excess items & keep in mind THEIR credit is tighter this year too). We'll be covering this space closely on-air and on this site. So, keep coming back ... :)


Flat or Modest Rise in Holiday Sales Expected:
Many early projections suggests retail spending in the final two months of 2009 – a season that accounts for a large proportion of sales and profits – will be flat or may show only a very modest increase over last year. Still, this is an improvement over last year which saw the first decline in decades.

Retailers Keeping Tight Inventories – "Buy Now" for Best Selection:
After being left over with a glut of inventory in 2008, many retailers have scaled back their purchases. Plus, their lines of credit could be tighter too (think: banks tightening restrictions). This means they may hold off on offering steep, profit-eroding discounts to reduce inventories until after the holiday season passes. For consumers it means an emphasis on buy it now vs. late, or risking gettinging "shut out" on hot gifts or paying ABOVE retail if something gets bid up on eBay.

Shop Early, Save Money:
Planning in advance, making a list and getting started early are all good bets for saving money. And because 4^th quarter sales are so vitally important to retailers, many offer early discounts to consumers to stoke their spending habits. It's working on me:)

Free Shipping Offers Online:
Online, e-tailers are more likely to dangle the two most powerful words in online shopping: "Free Shipping," in October and November. The longer you wait to shop, you will find those offers will quickly be going, going, gone. Etailers are often willing to absorb flat-rate shipping charges, which are widely available at the start of the season. But as deadlines near and rush shipping charges kick in, they've got to pay the UPS and FedExes of the world a premium and they're likely going to pass that cost along. Personally, am a big fan of Amazon Prime which gets me free shipping almost all the time, all year. More to come on this & whether the math might make sense for you too.

Coupon Use up Online & Offline:
The economies slow recovery, has fueled a major resurgence in coupon use both online and offline. Coupons have become a promotion for retailers, whether they are sticker to the front of a catalog that arrives in your mailbox or pushed to you in an email newsletter. Retailers are giving consumers just enough to get over the hump (to buy), but no more than that. Nuts not to use a coupon when they're readily available.

Hot Holiday Toys – "Must Haves":
It happens every holiday season ... there's a must-have toy or electronic gadget that flies off store shelves – think: Nintendo Wii, FURBIES or maybe Tickle Me Elmo rings a bell. Hot items like these can create a frenzy online, with Internet shoppers logging on time and time again in hopes of see those two magic words: "in stock." What's expected to be hot this year? (hint: something called Zhu Zhu pets made the list).

Toy Prices Expected to be Reasonable Again:
While it's hard to say for sure what will sell out and what won't, one thing we know with certainty is, parents are on a budget and they're searching for bargains. This has toy manufacturers responding with lower prices. In fact, half of the "hot 20" toys chosen by The Toy Insider, a consumer shopping guide, retail for $30 or less. But if you plan to snap up these bargains, don't wait. Last year, Walmart sold out of their industry trend-setting $10 toys. They had ten of them. This year? They're planning to have 100 of them!

Related articles:
Nielsen: Upcoming holiday season festive but frugal - Ecommerce - BizReport
Retailers deck the halls while calendar says early fall - The Boston Globe
Nervous US retailers brace for critical holiday season - Yahoo! News
Wal-Mart supersizes its $10 holiday toy program | U.S. | Reuters