zephyr97

Best Buy no longer has mail in rebates. Any rebate they would have is an Instant rebate taken at the register.

Well, as of now, the only thing I might be going to Wally-world for is the Bissell lightweight bagless vacuum cleaner. It would be for my MIL, because hers just broke. Maybe Wal*Mart's secret sale items will be good.

Bestbuy's ad had two (well, one card really, but choice of AGP or PCI-e versions) graphics cards on sale (available Friday and Saturday). They were the AGP and PCI express versions of the Visiontek Radeon HD2600 Pro 512MB DX10 card. Minimum 5 of each per store. Priced at $99.99 after $100.00 instant savings.

We get the Jones Soda holiday packs each year. My wife will only try the ones that sound like they "could" be a normal soda flavor (in some universe) while I make it a point to at least try each one. The new flavors in the Christmas Pack this year actually sound like they might be okay, even the ham.

I didn't even see that when I first looked at the page. You had to click on the small "see more information" link to get that detail. That could definitely be a strong point against this TV.

It's a TV/DVD player with pc input. Here's the link from Target.com. Specs look alright to me. I'm not familiar with the Trutech brand though.

Thanks Brad! It's always a wonderful surprise to find a new Black Friday ad posted first thing in the morning. Thanks to your dog too!

Here are the specs for the 24" Soyo Widescreen LCD monitor in the Office Max ad (item #2136-1009) from officemax.com: Screen Size..........24" Widescreen Contrast Ratio..........1000:1 Resolution..........1920 x 1200 Response Time..........6ms Audio..........2 Integrated Speakers MFGR Warranty..........1 Year Limited Aspect Ratio..........16:10 Color..........Black Inputs..........15-pin mini D-sub VGA and DVI-D connections Weight/Dimensions..........13.45 lbs; 22.93" x 18.39" x 7.46" Additional Features Viewing Angle: 170° (vertical), 160° (horizontal) Bandwidth: 135MHz Brightness 500 cd/m2 Compatibility PC/Mac http://www.officemax.com/omax/catalog/sku.jsp?skuId=21361009&searchString=&productId=prod380042

Do hallucinations from staying up all night waiting in line at BB to be one of the first in the store count?

I can't stand Dominic the Donkey. It irks me year after year.

If you want non-lumpy mashed potatoes and you don't want to use flakes, or you have no success with a mixer, or a masher, then what you need is...A potato ricer!!! Available in the kitchen utensil area of most stores (Target, Wal-Mart, etc.) a potato ricer is much like a garlic press, just larger. Boil up your potatoes (skin them if needed) and then place in the ricer, and squeeze, voila! Unlumpy mashed potatoes. Add seasonings as needed.

Growing up, my family always had a real tree each year until we moved to Australia when I was 10. There, my parents got on the fake tree kick because real ones weren't as easy to find. Back in the states now since '94, they have a pre-lit fake tree they love, but when I got married my wife and I decided we'd use a real one each year that we were able. 3 out of 4 years isn't bad, I'd say. :)

My all time favorite has got to be National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I can watch it any time of the year. After that, I'd go with these: Elf Home Alone 1 & 2 Earnest Saves Christmas The Grinch who stole Christmas (Cartoon version) All the various stop-motion cartoons like Rudolph, and the Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, etc. The classic cartoons like Frosty, Charlie Brown Christmas, The Disney Christmas cartoons, I probably have too many favorites to list properly.

I've camped at BB on BF for the past two years ('05 and '06) and have not had to line up on Wednesday night yet. Of course, here in Chicagoland we get the really cold weather too, so it's really no wonder. In 2005 myself, my older brother and a sister got to BB at 10:00pm and were the first ones in line, in 2006, we got there at 9:00pm and were the 3rd in line. I think if I go this year, I'll try for 6 or 7 o'clock on thursday evening. It really makes a difference as to when you should turn up for the big ticket items depending on what the weather forecast for your area is going to be. People in cold northern states can get in line a lot later than those down in the balmy southern states. ) It's much harder to stand in line for 10 hours when you might get frostbite or hypothermia in the process.

Yes, the PS3 will be able to play both PS1 and PS2 games. :)

My favorite candle-scent is vanilla cinnamon, and my wife's favorite is spiced pumpkin.

Gurnee Mills is packed on Black Friday. I've lived in the area for the past 8 years, and it's crazy busy each year. It's very hard to find parking unless you get there early. I think it can be worth it to go, as I have gotten a lot of good deals there in the past, you just have to be a little patient, if you get there later in the morning, or the afternoon. If you get there early you'll probably be allright with parking. I'm sure Circuit City will be one of the busiest stores there this year, along with Bass Pro Shop's Outdoor World, so if you're planning on shopping at either of those, get there really early and line up. Otherwise, just get there relatively early (a lot of the bigger stores still open at 6 or 7) and you'll just have to worry about the crowds and rude people.

I won't mind if CompUSA repeats their open at 12:01am thing, but I hope no more stores jump on the bandwagon--I'm already losing enough sleep during that weekend.

Last year, my sister wanted one of the laptops from BB, so I told her I'd go with her and we were there at 9:00pm on Thanksgiving. We were second in line. Depending on the deals and what I'm trying to get I will camp out. :) Otherwise, I try to get there about an hour or so before whatever store I want to go to opens.

Hello all! My name is Mike, and I'm married, no kids, but we have 3 cats. I started lurking on the forums last year, but I've been doing Black Friday shopping for years. I 'm in Round Lake, Illinois (north of chicago). I can't wait for Black Friday. I usually camp out at Best Buy, but it always depends on the deals other stores have.