Finally.

Today marks the start of several Christmas in July sales from some major retailers, including Sears and Kmart.  Other retailers, such as Toys R’ Us, has had discounts going on throughout the week with extra promotions occurring this weekend, while Target begins their Back in Black Friday online sale today.  So go ahead and grab all your Christmas presents now, then when the holidays come around, you can be doing something more important–Like finding a hotter place to vacation to.

Geoffrey and the Gang have tons of online-only deals today where you can save up to 75%!

If you get carried away buying toys (i.e. more than $60 worth), you can save an additional $10 by using Google Checkout!

StreetSideAuto.com Black Friday Deals

• $20 off purchases of $150 or more.
• $50 off purchases of $300 or more.
• $100 off purchases of $500 or more.

The new 2009-2010 momAgenda Desktops will be 25% off!

The new 2009-2010 momAgenda Mini-Daily will be 40% off!

PLUS free shipping in the continental United States!

Show off your love for everything L.A. this holiday season from the comfort of your own home with these fantastic Los Angeles sales on Black Friday through Cyber Monday!

40% off Lakers Merchandise at Lakersstore.com!

40% off Clippers Merchandise at Clippersstore.com!

40% off Golden Boy Officially Licensed Merchandise sold at the fights at Goldenboystore.com!

40% off Amgen Tour of California Officially Licensed Merchandise at Amgentourofcaliforniastore.com!

40% off Grammys Officially Licensed Award Show Merchandise at Grammystore.com!

40% off all your favorite LA Teams Officially Licensed Merchandise at TeamLAstore.com!

So many, in fact, that your boss may be on the look-out for those deviant workers who would prefer discounts to data entry and savings to sales reports. If you are brave enough to face the wrath of your tyrant leader and take full advantage of Cyber Monday specials (this means shopping for longer than your obligatory thirty-five minute lunch) you had better start practicing the tricks of internet shopping on the sly. Fumbling to minimize the check-out screen of a monthly chocolate gift basket mid-transaction is the mistake of an amateur.

Bring in the big guns
For those serious about a full eight-hour work day dedicated solely to Cyber Monday Specials (and perhaps a few other internet dalliances…Facebook anyone?) there are software programs designed specifically to hide your slacker ways. These programs format your keyboard to have a “Boss Key” which, when pushed, will magically erase the evidence of all the great Cyber Monday sites and leave only an innocent Excel spreadsheet to fill your screen.

Fool them with your fancy fingerwork
Not quite ready for that kind of commitment? Those who possess fast and fleeting fingers will love some of the keyboard features that will flip from great Cyber Monday Specials back to your email with naught but a few nimble keystrokes. PC users will want to start getting used to Alt+Tab to toggle between open applications and Windows+D for snappy screen changes. Mac users can get the same results using Open Apple+Tab and the F11 key. No unwieldy mouse-work necessary.

Do it in plain sight
If you’re worried that relying on the old screen switcharoo is going to get you caught in the act, there is nothing like a little old-fashioned feigning to bewilder a boss or nosy co-worker. Drumming your fingers on the table, clicking outrageously on your mouse, and random expletives cursing a bothersome client are your first steps to acting the over-worked post-holiday employee you actually are. Re-size your browser so your Cyber Monday perusing of DVDs and books all fits in the guilt-free window of your email preview. In addition, certain web browsers such as Firefox have features to strip web pages of their distinctive features. From “View,” scroll down to “Page Style” and then “No Style” and poof! You’re looking at what could very well be an interesting email attachment on the 2010 merger. No one is the wiser.

Keep in mind that if your boss already suspects you of your wily shopping ways, all it takes is a simple request to IT to monitor your computer’s activity for the day. And in that case, none of these tips will help. So if you’re on your third warning, you might want to be proactive and get yourself a bad cold the the night before Cyber Monday hits.

Now if you’re not into layaway (or standing in line) this Black Friday, get the same (and in some cases better) deals online with their Better Black Friday specials today!

All from 11/20-11/21 ONLY
Save $5 off $50 with coupon code KMART5OFF50
EXTRA 10% off Kenmore Vacuums
FinePix 10.0 Megapixel Digital Camera $99.99
32 in. LCD Integrated HDTV for $349.99
GPS System w/ 4.3 in. Diagonal Touch Screen

Maybe the leak is a secret marketing stunt by big box stores. Maybe it’s a clever ploy by Black Friday sites to bring internet traffic – either way, the Black Friday 2009 ads for the holiest of shopping weekends are just a best guess until the Thanksgiving newspaper hits the front lawn.

If you’re willing to take their word for it (and there’s really no reason you shouldn’t at this point) one of the best sources out there for the Black Friday 2009 ads is Black-Friday.net, who has an early bird list of all the major retailers, including Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy. Each Black Friday 2009 ad profile features a list of product links to the store with expected prices.

If you’re ready to gear up for the Black Friday madness, Target, Wal-Mart and Best Buy all open at 5 A freakin’ M in the morning.

Wait a second. You’re slowly remembering the promise you made to yourself last year about sleeping in after Thanksgiving. Don’t fight the tryptophan-induced hangover and sleep through the weekend. There are plenty of holiday saving opportunities throughout the weekend with these wonderful Cyber Monday specials.

At Walmart.com, you can find online specials of:

• Nintendo Wii Bundle with Console, Remote, Nunchuck, 2 games and an extra set of Nyko Controllers for $250.00
• Acer 17.3″ Blue Laptop w/4GB Memory, 320GB Hard Drive and Windows 7 Premium for $498.00.

At Target.com, there are many online coupons for toys with savings like:

• $5 off on the Easy Bake Oven
• $10 off on Blu-Rays when you buy Up and Monsters Inc.
• $10 off on any two Wii or DS games

Some of the big names in Black Friday (Kohl’s, for example, and Kmart) are shifting strategies in announcing holiday deals as a result of poor sales in 2008 and early 2009. Rather than publicizing sales morning-of, many are tempting shoppers with hints of big savings early on. In addition to downloading iPhone apps, deal-hunters might also want to check out the social media scene. Following the Twitter and Facebook’s of your favorite retailers means hot information straight to your email’s inbox. All the hard work is done – you just get to sit back and revel in the therapy of clicking “buy” on your Cyber Monday discounted purchases.

Black Friday Pros

The sales are easy to find. This year, several of the big-name stores are announcimg or leaking their sale information well in advance of Black Friday. Setting up an itinerary of who is going to which store and when has never been easier.

The deals are good. There is no doubt about it. They are really, really good. From the looks of it, the large-scale one-stop-shopping stores (think Wal-Mart, Kmart, and Target) are slashing prices and adding free goodies (of equal or lesser value) every chance they can. Black-Friday.net confirms that Kohl’s and Sears have, combined, a total of 1,405 different deals. You are going to save, and save big.

The thrill of the thing. Have you ever single-handedly hoofed a 52-inch plasma HDTV through swarming crowds to your car? If not, then get ready. You haven’t lived.

Black Friday Cons

Waking up at the crack of dawn. It’s probably a good thing that all the wine and tryptophan from Thanksgiving knocks you out while it’s still light out. Because waking up at 4:00am to get in a line of deal-craving shoppers out in a drizzly, cold November morning is a struggle. You might want to set two alarms, just in case.

The people. Black Friday shoppers are insane. The same women who yelled at your six-year-old daughter for missing a wide-open goal at last week’s soccer game are out and about, hunting down the same deals on the Barbie Glamour Camper you are. You have been warned.

Death. The Wal-Mart employee who was crushed to death in the 2008’s Black Friday rush has, according to an article by The New York Times, necessitated the security and crowd-management consulting generally reserved for the Super Bowl and the Olympics. So hopefully no one else will die. While shopping.

Cyber Monday Pros

It’s leisurely. Cyber Monday specials happens for the whole Monday (and sometimes for the week leading up to it). This means you can surf the web at your convenience. Go ahead and sleep in if you don’t have a pressing meeting to get to. Check out the deals during your lunch break. Relax after dinner with your laptop and a nice cup of tea. Supplies aren’t going to run out as you stand in line and watch, so this can be an anxiety-free shopping occasion!

You can fly solo. There is no need to harass harried employees or deal with aggressive shoppers. You don’t need to set up meeting times in designated location with your family members who are out hunting down their own goodies. Shop from anywhere with an internet connection – Starbucks anyone?

Can you say “Free Shipping?” Maybe it’s not as noticeable as a billboard saying “Our Lowest Prices of All Time,” but those charges add up. Those poor shoppers who drive from Toy-R-Us to Toys-R-Us seeking that sold-out the hottest video games and Disney Princess collectables will be crying as they count the gallons of gas their Chevy Blazers eat up.

Cyber Monday Cons

The deals might not seem as astounding. Compared to Black Friday’s blow-out sales, Cyber Monday can seem a little bit like old Black’s lesser-known cousin. But keep in mind that Black Friday is designed for the big, crowd-pleasing items: electronics, toys, DVDs. A more discerning shopper will want to check out any promotions or deals at their favorite boutiques or e-commerce websites.

Specials are harder to spot. Let’s face it; there are quite a few of us who still haven’t even heard of Cyber Monday. In comparison, if you are a stranger to Black Friday you either aren’t from around here, or don’t like saving money. Black Friday has a bigger and stronger tradition backing it, and as a result it takes a little more patience and finesse to nose out some of those great Cyber Monday finds. Practice now, though, and you’ll be an expert by the time everyone else catches on.

It behooves you to research beforehand. Online shopping means no trying clothes on or comparing the quality of two different digital cameras. Knowing exactly what you want before Cyber Monday hits mean an easy, stress-free shopping experience. And you won’t have to deal with tricky online returns!