Black Friday is one of the fiercest battles of the year. Every year shoppers like you and me rush to our local stores to buy the latest technology at super discounted prices. Well in 2010 the battle will be waged over the iPad. I am here to tell you how to avoid the fight while claiming this year’s hot tablet tech, at an unbelievable discount.

Years ago, I would always pre-plan my attacks ipad trade in value on Black Friday at least a week in advance. You identify the desired sales, doorbusters, store hours, and the weather forecast because the battle was likely going to happen overnight in potentially frigid temperatures. My wife, who I usually dragged along, would be there to switch places with me in line while each us warmed ourselves in the car nearby. When dawn approached and I finally got into the store, I always wondered if it was truly worth all the planning but usually rationalized the whole thing on the way back home.

To many of you, this scenario is all too familiar. Well, I am going to tell you that this is not the only option and that people shouldn’t have to pull an all nighter to get that after Thanksgiving deal. For the past couple of years, I have managed to avoid the Black Friday rush by getting any and every electronic desired just by renting movies, checking my credit score, and drinking coffee. Now you might say that now I am trying to sell you is magic beans when in fact it IS more like the goose with the golden eggs.

Basically, in exchange for trying a product (i.e. renting movies through Netflix), I get an incentive such as cash and/or electronics. It’s a wild concept but remarkably not that new. When you were younger, the lure of the happy meal or the cereal box was the toy inside. This is exactly the same concept, only now companies need much bigger toys to lure adults. This year the lure is the new iPad and word through the grapevine is that stores will be selling the discounted tablet on Black Friday with you shivering outside. However, even if stores do slash the price, we all know that it won’t be much. After all, a million dollars off a bizillion is still a bizillion, right? Here is your opportunity to grab the latest craze at a TRUE discount without waiting for Black Friday.

We all go to such great lengths for opportunity, rain, sleet, snow, or shine. Don’t pitch a tent this year like I did for so many years when you could get a new laptop, TV, and the new iPad from the comforts of your centrally heated home.

Categories: Business