Black Friday Deals For The Faint Of Heart

Maybe you're the kind of person who doesn't mind rising before dawn the day after a major holiday. Maybe you get an adrenaline rush by have your face smashed against a plate glass window by a surging mob.

If so, you probably already have your Black Friday shopping plans made. If you aren't, however, you might find some really good deals this year from the comfort and safety of the chair in front of your computer.

Black Friday sales have been just about the worst-kept secret of the year. Ad circulars have already been leaked to a number of Web sites, so you already know what the deals will be before getting in your car.

Some of the deals are indeed tempting. For example, one blog touts Target's Black Friday offering of a 40-inch Westinghouse LCD TV for $298. That might be worth fighting the mob, if you think you have a chance of getting one.

Leaked ads

Another leaked ad says Best Buy will be offering a Panasonic VIERA 50-inch plasma TV for $700.

There's actually a website, that has posted what it says are the Black Friday ads from dozens of stores, including American Eagle, Babies R Us, Banana Republic, Home Depot, Old Navy, and many other retailers.

But there are plenty of good deals online too, and they are available without having to set one foot outside in the middle of the night. Amazon.com has been running its Black Friday sale all week and will continue to add items through Cyber Monday, on November 29.

You can also do your Black Friday shopping at Target.com. No, you might not be able to get all those door-buster specials online, but there are some pretty good deals. Target is running a 4-Day Holiday Sale online, where you can get at 8 GB iPod Touch for $224. Some items include free shipping.

Wal-Mart would still like you to visit their stores on Black Friday. A visit to their website offers a look at a "sneak peek at the Black Friday ad for stores in your particular area. All you have to do is enter your zip code.

But Walmart.com is already offering "online specials that include an RCA 42-inch plasma TV for $399 and a Kodak 12 MP digital camera for $74.

BestBuy.com has also rolled out some discounted items this week, including a Gateway netbook for $179.99. Some HP computers come with a $100 gift card.

Early start

It seems Black Friday arrived early this year, with sales beginning at the first of November. In a tough economy, retailers want to give consumers every opportunity to buy.

The online sales traditionally start the Monday after Thanksgiving, Cyber Monday. This year, it seems online retailers are getting an early start as well. The question for consumers is whether to brave the crowds in the stores Friday, or surf for deals at home anytime this week.

Oh, and you might want to make sure you do your shopping at home and not wait until Monday when you return to work. A survey of 1,400 chief information officers, compiled by Robert Half Technology, finds they intend to block access to online shopping sites on Cyber Monday.