Retailers pull customers into early holiday shopping with deals that have people lining up all night for 5am and earlier store openings. This year's busiest shopping day will probably be Dec 20th, but Nov 28th will be one of the busiest. What will be on sale for 2008?

Electronics Blu-ray & DVD players Cell phones (426,000 cell phones are retired daily -pics) External (500gb, 1tb) & USB Flash drives GPS navigation systems HDTVs & home theaters MP3 players (1gb, 2gb, 4gb, 8gb) iPod, Nextar, Samsung, SanDisk, Sony, Zune Netbooks & Macbooks Photo frames, electronic Wireless devices

Games Playstation 3 Wii Xbox

Toys Barbie for president Bratz Disney Fairies Hannah Montana anything High School Musical anything Lego Star Wars anything

Christmas Gift Ideas
HDTVs continue to be a heavy-return item as buyers expect more than what the current technology offers. Slow moving graphics on the showroom floor may be impresive, but  the consumer will not play the demo video at home. They also may not use HD media sources or know to properly connect the HDTV. HD broadcast systems are evaluated by frame size, scan, & frame rate. Store tests.
LED Christmas Lights can be a few dollars more than incandescent bulbs, but they burn cooler (reduced fire hazard), use less energy (3-33% less), and are more durable (from Consumer Reports). Target has $9 LED lights on 11-28-2008.
Rage Wireless Guitars, for the Nintendo Wii gaming system, were expected to be a big thing, but a defective circuit board causes batteries to leak acid all over the guitarist (acid rock?!?), so the US Consumer Product Safety Commission asked for a voluntary recall.

Twin Cities Stores with Black Friday 2008 advertised sales   full ads 1  |  full ads 2  |  full ads 3

Ace Hardware - 25 tool & hardware items Best Buy -FRI 5am- (lines start 11-27, "pass out tickets for doorbuster specials up to 2 hours before store opening")  - 12 cell phones, 6 computers, 15 digital cameras, 4 gps, 14 HDTVs, 14 video games Circuit City    CVS Herbergers -Fri 4am-11pm- Home Depot JC Penney - up to 60% off clothing & home items Jo-Ann Fabrics

Kmart -FRI 6am-11pm- chug 2 liters of Pepsi for 88¢, (2) 2gb flash 12.99, (2) 2gb SD 12.99, 4 HDTVs, Guitar Hero 3 54.99 Kohls -FRI 4am-Midn- up to 60% off clothing Macys Menards Michaels National Camera Officemax - 4gb USB flash or SD card 9.99 Old Navy

Radio Shack - 7 gps, 8 media cards Ritz Camera - FRI 6am-11pm Sears -FRI 5am-Midn- 20 digital cameras, 6 dvd players, 2gb flash or SD cards 6.99, 5 gps, 23 HDTVs, 25 tires because you can never tire of tires Staples - 8gb USB drive 12.99 Target -FRI 6am-11pm- LED Christmas lights $9, Kettle corn popper $24, Iron Man or Kung Fu Panda $13, 750gb external drive $88.88 Toys R Us - up to 50% off on toys Walgreens Wal-Mart - Magnavox Blu-ray player $128, Seagate 500gb drive $69, Iron Man or Kung Fu Panda $9, 4gb USB drive $9, MySize Barbie $35

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Minnesota Voters Guide from the Twin Cities Calendar

Tuesday, November 4, 2008 - Election Day - 7am - 8pm Where To Vote in Minnesota 651-215-1440 or 1-877-600-VOTE (8683)  -- Anoka County  -- Carver County  - sample ballots  -- Dakota County  -- Hennepin County (Minneapolis)  -- Ramsey County (St. Paul)  -- Scott County - polling places map  -- Washington County  -- Wright County When To Vote: 7am - 8pm Video: What To Expect When Voting & caption version Sample Ballot   &   Marking Your Ballot more Minnesota election information Informed Decisions Candidate Information from the League of Women voters Minnesota Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor Candidates Parties:   Democrats  |  Independents  |  Republicans Minnesota makes voting easy. If you have never voted or even registered, all you have to do is go to your polling place with some identification, and you can vote. To vote, you use a pen. Nothing could be simpler. There are also alternatives for people with disabilities. 1. Find your polling location 2. Go there on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 between 7am - 8pm 3. If you're registered - show them your driver's license or other identification 4. They'll find you on a list and either mark you off or have you sign it 5. They'll give you a ballot in a paper sleeve 6. In a private booth, you fill in the boxes next to your choices on the ballot 7. Slide the ballot into a scanning machine & return the sleeve It's easy! Minnesota Election Day Political Watch Parties - November 4, 2008 Minnesota Public Radio - Policy and Pint Party UBR Forum 480 Cedar St, St Paul 55101  651-290-1500 (map) doors open at 6:30pm, $10 ($5 for students) Minnesota DFL Victory Night Party Crowne Plaza Hotel St Paul Riverfront 11 E Kellogg Blvd, St Paul 55101  651-292-1900 (map) doors open at 8:15pm Liberal Victory Party with The Shakey Shaman Band, Future Lisa, & Codger Varsity Theater 1308 4th St SE, Minneapolis 55414  612-604-0222  (map) doors open at 7:30pm Election Night Party Nomad World Pub 501 Cedar Av S, Minneapolis 55454  612-338-6424  (map) wear your "I Voted" sticker & receive a free pint of Schell's beer Dean Barkley For Senate - Election Day Party Sheraton West Minneapolis Hotel - Main Ballroom 12201 Ridgedale Dr, Minnetonka 55305  800-325-3535 (map) doors open at 7:30pm other Minnesota Democratic Party Events - Duluth, Rochester Minnesota Republican Party Events Free stuff today - show your "I Voted" sticker Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream 5-8pm  (locations) Nomad Pub - Schell's beer Starbucks coffee  (locations)

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