eBates.com has some AMAZING cash back rebate deals so if you are shopping online, you are losing a lot of money if you don't shop through their site. (Also check rivals Cashbaq.com and Extrabux.com for specials).

Here are some of the best rebates offers I spotted on eBates - good on Black Friday only - though expect to see more deals on Cyber Monday.

Get 10% back at DisneyStore.com, up from 5%.

Get 10% back at The Gap, up from 2%.

Get 10% back at Old Navy, up from 2%.

Get 18% off at Lancome, up from 12%.

Get 12% back at The North Face, up from 8%.

Get 10% back at Sephora, up from 8%.

See all their Black Friday cash rebate offers.

To get these cash rebates, register at eBates.com then shop through their site instead of going directly to the retailer. If you join, say I referred you (juliamariescott@gmail.com).

So you missed the doorbusters. No worries. Who wants to cram into a store at dawn or set the alarm for 2 a.m. to get a virtual doorbuster? The best thing about Black Friday is you can go later in the day and still use many of the coupons retailers are sharing. Here are some of the best coupons out there.

Get 25% off your purchase at Michael's before noon local time or get fixed dollars off your purchase, depending on the total. Coupons here.

Spend $60 at Victoria's Secret and get a free runway bag. Print the coupon here. Online use code VSFRIDAY. If you're buying jammies, get a pair of free slippers with code PJGIFT. If you buy a sweater get a free scarf with code SCARF09. Some caveats.

Many retail employees are forgoing Turkey Day with their families to offer a jump start on the Black Friday shopping mania.

According to the USA Today, Wal-Mart, Old Navy, and Radio Shack on the West Coast will entertain shoppers who decide to splurge after a hearty meal.

So will Toys R Us, says an earlier Walletpop post and Boscov's and certain Banana Republic/ Gap stores. These retailers will join Kmart, Walgreen's and other drug and grocery stores who began the tradition years ago.

"It's a big trend for retailers," said Scott Testa, professor of business administration at Cabrini College in Philadelphia in a phone interview. "I think a certain percentage of the population will go and shop especially if they can beat the Black Friday crowd."

Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are being announced or leaked at such a rapid rate its getting difficult to keep track. Of all the retailers, Toys R Us may well be the most aggressive with the deals and now it is expanding online discounts for the big day, with free shipping, bonuses with purchase, and some special payment plans.

There's even an online layaway program called Bill Me Later. Through Saturday, November 28, new Bill Me Later customers will receive $10 off purchases of $30 or more, with no payments for up to 90 days. In addition, all customers who opt to use Google Checkout will receive $10 off purchases of $60 or more.

If you are spending less on shopping this Black Friday you're not alone. A recent survey performed by Dealnews.com found that a quarter of shoppers are planning to spend less on Black Friday.

The survey further found that fewer people will be shopping on Black Friday as a whole and that women shop for other people on Black Friday, whereas men shop for themselves.

It's no shocker that men do more shopping on themselves on Black Friday, since I know few fellows who would brave a Black Friday crowded for anyone other than themselves.

I am a self-professed recreational shopper. Always have been. Some people play sports competitively. Me, I shop competitively.

The thrill is in the bargain. Hunting it down, getting it in my sights and then moving in for the kill. I sharpened my elbows as a child in Daffy Dan's in New Jersey (mob aside, a reasonable state with no sales tax on clothing; are you listening California?) but have since refined my methods.

My current weapon of choice: coupons I find online. My trophy purchase mounted on the wall of my closet: a 100% cashmere sweater with the Sak's label still in it that I got for $5 at a thrift store in Malibu.

It was only a matter of time before my prowess reached the TV networks. I was asked by CNBC to take a camera crew along while I shopped. My terms: They don't get in my way.

Sears and Kmart are going on the third week of early Black Friday promotions, with door-buster deals all weekend leading up to the actual Black Friday.

Frozen waffle fans of all ages may be left scrambling, wondering what to eat (eggs perhaps?) for breakfast. On Wednesday, Kellogg's said it's facing an unprecedented shortage of its frozen Eggo waffles -- a situation it expects to last through mid-2010.

Oh, what will breakfast lovers do?

Flooding at an Atlanta plant forced Kellogg's to shut down a bakery. A move that impacted production of the frozen food favorite. Pouring hot maple syrup on the already sticky situation: equipment repairs to the company's biggest waffle bakery in Rossville, TN. which further impacted production.

But soggy weather isn't the only reason the Atlanta facility closed. The Eggo makers shut-down during much of September and October to sanitize the plant after inspectors found Listeria monocytogenes -- bacteria that can cause serious infection -- according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

"We are working around the clock to restore Eggo store inventories to normal levels as quickly as possible," spokesman Kris Charles said. The currently available Eggos will be rationed to stores nationwide "based on historical percentage of business," Charles said.

The "temporary supply disruption" contributed to a 3% decline in sales in Kellogg's North American frozen and specialty channels division in the third quarter, Kellogg CEO David Mackay said on a conference call in late October.

One can only imagine it won't be long before resourceful entrepreneurs start auctioning Eggo they're willing to "leggo" on eBay.

Forget the 5 a.m. start, Toys R Us stores will open at midnight on Thursday, Nov. 26. Just in time to finish digesting that Thanksgiving meal.

As Toys R Us points out in an announcement, that's 25% more time to grab Black Friday deals.

Toys R Us' Big Book is out and most Black Friday deals are leaked but the toy retailer will make a preview available of more than 100 previously unadvertised prices on Black Friday deals as of 12:01 Wednesday, Nov. 25, and start shopping in stores just 24 hours later.

But while stores will be open, some but not all, of the doorbusters won't begin until 5 a.m.

Zhu Zhu hunters be appraised, the first 100 people in line on Black Friday will each be given a ticket for the opportunity to purchase a Zhu Zhu Pet (with a limit of one per household). Toys R Us, said in a statement that 1000's of Zhu Zhu Pets will be arriving regularly throughout December.

According to the National Retail Federation, 42.4% of the U.S. population plans to shop for gifts online this holiday season. It's convenient, makes for pain free price comparisons, and saves a good bit of money in sales tax.

Savvy readers have mastered the art of collecting coupon codes online and know never to shop a national retailer's Web site without first checking for discounts.

But there are some things about physically shopping that can't be replaced. The social aspect of spending the day out with family, pairing up with a favorite shopping buddy, and adding lunch or spa visit to make holiday shopping more than just braving the crowds.

Too big for Santa's lap this year -- or does the whole idea just sort of creep you out? If you're not up for waiting in line at the mall, and the man-in-red isn't returning your emails, there's another way to get your wish list heard -- without bribing the big guy with cookies and schnapps (or is that just me?).

Velvettag.com, Freegiftregistry.com, Mygiftlist.com, Myregistry.com and Wishpot.com are free, one-stop, all-occasion gift registries that allow members to create wish lists from an unlimited number of online retailers. Instead of slogging through site after site, Kris Kringle can find out exactly what you -- or the kids -- are dreaming of this year. Wishpot.com also allows members to prioritize items with helpful phrases such as: "I want it", "I really, really want it", "I wouldn't mind having it", and "I neeeed it" (this last comment referring to one subscriber's desperate plea for a certain cell phone strap). whether or not you've been naughty or nice is still something you'll have to take up with Santa.

In yet another sign that Americans are still cautious -- and growing more so -- about their spending, new research shows that fewer of us will be using credit cards to make our holiday purchases this year.

According to a survey conducted by BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation (as reported here by Reuters), the number of consumers using credit cards for holiday purchases will drop more than 10% this year. Only 28.3% of shoppers say they'll use credit cards to buy presents, down from 31.5% last year.

What are we doing instead? Paying cash. The number of survey respondents who said they'll be using cash to buy holiday gift this year rose by almost exactly the same percentage as the drop in credit-card users, at 9.1%. This is a step in the right direction for consumers, as more of us are making a conscious decision to live within our means.

It's bad news for the already-beleaguered credit-card industry, though; we've recently written about new data showing that credit-card companies will probably have many more defaults next year.

It's also bad news for the nation's retailers, which are already bracing for a weak holiday shopping season. The National Retail Federation survey also revealed that we're buying more practical gifts this year. A greater percentage of consumers plan to buy clothing this year, and fewer are buying electronics and jewelry.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, video games are the third most desired product this holiday season, and electronics retailers aren't the only ones angling to capture sales. Toys R Us is launching layaway, trade-ins and even more sales on video game hardware.

Toys R Us has been introducing new deals at a furious pace leading up to Black Friday, and beginning Friday, Nov. 18, the chain is expanding its layaway program to video game hardware (except in Maryland). Placing a product on layaway requires a deposit of 20% of the total, including taxes and a $10 service charge. Items must be paid for in full by Dec. 6.

The retailer began taking trade-ins of video game software in October, and will now accept hardware, as well. Bring gaming devices to a Toys R Us store and have the hardware scanned at the service desk to determine value. Accept the offer and you'll be issued a gift card for the value that can be redeemed immediately in store or online.

When financial experts are recommending canceling vacations, cutting cable and staying far away from restaurants to save money in the recession, it's easy to guess what they'd think of frivolous expenses like, say, holiday trinkets and decor.

But before you let a budget-minded humbug talk you out of decking your halls this holiday season, you might want to check out fredflare.com. The site peddles inexpensive, quirky holiday tchotchkes and treats guaranteed to charm hipsters and homemakers alike.