Amazon is shaking things up a bit. After its Customer Vote effort resulted in great deals, but overwhelming traffic, this week, you’re asked to vote on a deal by 11:59 PM on Sunday (12/10). Once the voting closes, customers will be randomly selected to receive a claim code for the product they voted for (whether it wins or not). Once you have the claim code, just come back anytime on Tuesday (12/12) to complete your purchase.

If your deal doesn’t win, the claim code you may receive will apply to a lesser, but pretty good deal on the product. We’re highlighting this point because the 30GB Microsoft Zune Digital Media Player is leading right now with the George Foreman Grill in second and TMX Elmo in third. Even if Elmo doesn’t catch up, if you vote for TMX Elmo and you’re chosen, you can guarantee yourself a hard-to-find product for less than $40. Here are the four products:

• Zune 30 GB Digital Media Player
  1,000 units at this price
  $90.00 (original Amazon price: $229.95)
• George Foreman 10-Burger Jumbo Grill
  2,000 units at this price
  $5.00 (original Amazon price: $49.99)
• T.M.X. Elmo
  2,000 units at this price
  $30.00 (original Amazon price: $39.99)
• WowWee Roboreptile Robotic Reptile
  2,000 units at this price
  $20.00 (original Amazon price: $69.99)

Link:  Amazon Customer Vote

If you’re interested, TMX Elmo is available right now at Toys R Us. Hurry, it’ll sell out in minutes.

Update: Sold out in 5 minutes. But, Toys R Us has been frequently posting new inventory today so my recommendation is that you bookmark this link and check it out often.

Link:  TMX Elmo at Toys R Us

Wal-Mart‘s “Cyber Monday” deals are really a post-Thanksgiving week-long sale on 51 select items ranging from cookies, to toys, to DVDs.

Looking through the list, we’re drawn to the DeLonghi Steam Cappuccino Espresso Machine for only $39.87, which would go well with the Starbucks Holiday Favorites for $18.22. You can pick up 3 PS2 or Xbox games (from a select list, of course) for only $25. As for gadgets and electronics, there’s a Visco 37″ Widescreen LCD HDTV for $798, a Philips 3 Megapixel Retro Style Ultra Digital Camera for a mere $49, a Kodak 5 Megapixel EasyShare V570 Dual Lens Digital Camera for $218, and a Garmin StreetPilot i5 GPS for $289. Take a look and see if anything sparks your interest.

Link:  Post Thanksgiving “Super Online Specials” at WalMart.com (expires 12/1/06)

We just received the great news from eToys: They expect to have TMX Elmo in stock today, November 24, at 1 PM Eastern. They expect to sell out very quickly so bookmark the link below and get ready to click.

Link:  TMX Elmo at eToys (in stock 11/24 @ 1PM EST)

We’ve been debating how to handle the Toys R’ Us Black Friday sales because we want to provide you with as much information as we can without overwhelming you. Before we get to the products, we’ll point out that if you use Google Checkout, you can get $10 of purchase of $30 or more. Now on to the sales.

First, Toys R’ Us is holding a 5 AM to Noon sale on many items including 50% off DVD Games Shows, 50% off Bratz Dolls, 40% off Easy Bake Oven, and 50% off Hotwheels and Matchbox.

Then, for all of Friday and Saturday, they will offer additional discounts on other products including buy 1 get one free on Nintendo DS games, 65% off select PS2 games, 33% Off Disney Princess Digital Camera, and 50% Off Fisher-Price Medical Kit.

Here are links to some interesting sales for Friday, 11/24 from 5AM to Noon:

• 50% Off DVD Game Show Value Pack (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• Over 50% Off Wee 3 Friends RainDream Doll (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• 50% Off Bratz Sweet Dreamz Styling Head (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• 50% Off Game Boy Micro (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• Save $60 on Razor Electric Chopper (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• Over 50% Off Playskool Music & Lights Sit ‘n Spin (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• 50% Off Leapfrog My First LeapPad Alphabet Bus (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• Save $20 on Fisher-Price All-in-1 Deluxe Twin Playset (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• 50% Off Bratz Sweet Dreamz Doll Assortment and Felicia Doll (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• 40% Off Easy-Bake Real Meal Oven (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• 50% Off Hot Wheels Shark Park Playset (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• 50% Off Matchbox Basic Cars 20-Pack (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• 33% Off Vtech Learning Laptop (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• 50% Off Wowwee RoboSapien (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• 40% Off New Bright 1:14 RC Hummer H3 or Ford F150 (11/24 5AM to Noon)
• FREE Tony Hawk’s Project 8 with purchase of a PS2 System (11/24 5AM to Noon)

And here are links to interesting products on sale 11/24 through 11/25:

• Buy 1, Get 1 FREE on Select Nintendo DS Games (expires 11/25)
• 33% Off First Act Student Guitar (expires 11/25)
• Save $20 each on First Act Discovery 5-Piece Drum Set or Portable Electric Guitar (expires 11/25)
• 50% Off Nintendo GBANDS Pokemon Folio with Video (expires 11/25)
• 50% Off Little Tikes Keyboard with Stool (expires 11/25)
• 50% Off Rubber Piano (expires 11/25)
• 33% Off Disney Princess Digital Camera (expires 11/25)
• FREE PS2 Wireless Controller when you buy any PS2 Video Game (expires 11/25)
• DVD Player with 20 FREE DVD Movies (expires 11/25)
• Over 65% Off Select PS2 Games (expires 11/25)
• Up to 33% Off Select LeapPad, My First LeapPad & Little Touch LeapPad Books (expires 11/25)
• 33% Off Lots to Cuddle Baby with Stroller (expires 11/25)
• 20% Off CARS Tent and Dora Slumberbag (expires 11/25)
• 50% Off Select Crayola Items – Dough Full of Fun Playset, Super Coloring Kit, Super Craft Kit (expires 11/25)
• 50% Off Imaginarium Sea to Shining Sea Train Set (expires 11/25)
• Over 65% Off Fisher-Price Tumble Time Tigger (expires 11/25)
• 50% Off Little Tikes Little Handiworker Workhorse (expires 11/25)
• 50% Off Fisher-Price Medical Kit (expires 11/25)
• Over 60% Off Fisher-Price Baby Gymtastics Activity Tunnel (expires 11/25)
• Over 40% Off Fisher-Price Peek-a-Block Bus (expires 11/25)
• 33% Off Rock ‘n Ride Pony and Unicorn (expires 11/25)
• Save $20 each on Fisher-Price Ride Ons – Lil’ Kawasaki & Barbie Lil’ Trail Rider (expires 11/25)
• 35% Off Jakks Pacific Creep Crawler Oven (expires 11/25)

Now through 11/26, the official Lego store is offering $10 off $150, $20 off $200, and $30 off $300 coupons. Lego is a great toy for children and adults with a selection of classic Lego products and new ones featuring items from Harry Potter and Star Wars. For the kid in you, check out Lego Mindstorms which allows you to build real working robots.

Link:  $10 off $150, $20 off $200, or $30 off $300 and free shipping on orders over $99 (expires 11/26/06)

As holiday shopping season rolls around, we’re on the lookout for unique gifts and stores so you could buy something that’s just a little bit different. One such store is Hammacher Schlemmer, which has been selling unique and innovative high quality products for over 150 years. Their diverse product catalog allows you to buy one of a kind gifts for under $30, a 7-foot robot for a mere $50,000 and even a $108,000 electric car. Where else can you buy a portable 26 foot ice rink for your backyard?

We encourage you to visit their website or consider some of these unique products:

	Next-Generation Robosapien Robot This is the next evolution of the Robosapien, capable of autonomous behavior and equipped with interactive sensors to recognize objects and respond to sounds. It can be programmed to execute more than 60 different movements, including dancing, exploring, lifting items, or bowling (ball and pins included).

	Space-Saving Air-Powered Hockey Table This is the air-powered hockey table with a space-saving design that easily folds out of the way against a wall when floor space is needed for other activities.

	Portable 26 Foot Backyard Ice Rink Easy to assemble portable unit turns any backyard into an ice rink for parties, skating or hockey practice. No tools required.

	Tabletop Wooden Sudoku Game This elegant wooden sudoku set comes with pre-numbered tiles and more than 1,000 puzzles to challenge sudoku enthusiasts who prefer to work conundrums with tactile components rather than pencil and paper.

	Little Red Rocket Sleek battery-powered rocket is outfitted with working lights, push-button sounds, and a blast-off rumble. Easy assembly.

The Interactive Plush Pony. This plush pony is comparable in size to an actual Shetland and uses advanced electronics, integrated sensors, and puppetry to respond when it is touched, hears a sound, or detects changes in ambient light. When her mane is brushed she whinnies; when her ears are tickled she turns her head to see who is grooming her; petting her muzzle will cause her to sniff your hand.

	Genuine Turkish Bathrobe This imported Turkish robe comes from the Denizli region of Turkey. Turkish toweling is legendary for its extraordinary thickness and absorbency.

Robotic Reptile This is the robotic dinosaur that has multiple sensors which detect sound, movement, and touch, allowing it to react to its environment with realistic biomorphic motions including running, stalking, turning its head, whipping its tail, and “sniffing” its prey before pouncing. The dinosaur responds to stimuli depending on one of its three moods, including Hungry, Satisfied, and Subdued.

	6 1/2-Foot Santa’s Day And Night Illuminated Train Unlike typical holiday sculptures that can only reveal their brilliance at night, this 6 1/2′ long Santa’s train is decorated with present-laden tenders, steam billowing from the locomotive’s smokestack, garlands, and painted stars, all of which give the train a three-dimensional appearance, making it noticable during the day.

Disney Shopping‘s Thanksgiving deals are now available and they include up to 60% off many items, $10 off $50, $20 off $75, free shipping on orders over $100, and daily deals. This may be a good opportunity to beat the Black Friday rush and buy some Disney clothing, toys, and other branded products for kids and adults at a discounted price. These discounts and coupons expire on 11/26/06 and can be accessed from the page linked below.

Links:  DisneyShopping’s Thanksgiving Day Sales and Promotions (expires 11/26/06)

Wal-Mart is very serious about selling toys this holiday season and to prove it they are offering 97 cent shipping on their top toys. With most of their products already discounted, this low-cost shipping helps ensure that they match or beat the price of their online competitors.

Link:  97 cent shipping on top toys at Walmart.com

You may have learned something (or nothing) from all those campaign ads on TV, but we learned quite a bit, like:

• Nintendo Wii fever is here so pre-order now.
• If iTunes offered free music and you didn’t know about it then is it really free?
• I have number one movie in all of US of A, now I put CD in cassette tape.
• You don’t have to scoop a robotic dog‘s poop.
• Holiday shopping season 2006 is on!