Black Friday is only a few days away, and in addition to the numerous pre-sales and Thanksgiving Day discounts going on, many smaller or niche stores are sharing their Black Friday deals with us; before they hit your Wednesday newspaper.

Of note today are deals from Bare Necessities, Victoria's Secret, T-Mobile, Amazon, and Pet Supplies Plus.

Lingerie:
Bare Necessities is currently running pre-Black Friday deals including, bra sales on Tuesday and steals starting at $9.99 on Wednesday. On Black Friday you'll be able to find discounts on Nautica flannel drawstring pants, slips, bras and panties starting at just $9.

The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) have come out today with their tenth annual holiday spending survey, and here's what they have found: Consumers aren't going to be spending as much on their holiday gifts as in previous years.

Could there be any news that's less surprising?

Not to knock them for getting this information -- it's always good to have the data on spending, if you're a retail store owner or, I guess, a personal finance journalist. But this isn't exactly a shock.

Black Friday deals are already appealing, with plenty of Black Friday laptop deals and clothing deals and plenty more. But what would you say if you could get an extra; 5%, 10%, 20%, or even 35% off of your purchase in the form of cash back just by starting your holiday shopping on Bing.com?

For a limited time on Black Friday, November 27th, Bing will offer bigger cash-back rewards as part of their Bing Goldrush promotion. This will include cash-back amounts from 5 to 35 percent from retailers such as Macy's, Sears, The Gap, AT&T, Walmart, eBay, HP and many more.

Customer service is the cornerstone of a retail business. So could the vending machine industry really make people more easily give their money to a machine rather than a person with a friendly smile?

The secret lies in technology and convenience, according to the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA), which represents the vending machine industry.

With gas prices and the recession not sparing even this $30 billion segment of the retail market, vending merchants are looking at swanky machines that dispense everything from deep-dish pizzas to prescription drugs to nab more customers.

Black Friday 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.

The thrill of the hunt is compelling, especially when your grocer's ads tout "BIG SAVINGS" on favorite holiday meal fixins.

But even if you're just shopping for your weekly groceries this weekend instead of the trimmings and trappings for turkey day, it's still tough to say no to a good sale. And with most of us on strict, self-imposed budgets because of the current recession, shopping on the weekend becomes an even bigger temptation, a time to say, "But I've been so good all week, I deserve a little splurge!"

Tossing sale items in your cart can blow your budget if you're not careful. "I find it hard to resist great sales, so I'll buy far more than we need or than I can fit in my freezer," says frequent sale-shopper, Barbara Nelson.

The Walmart Black Friday ad leaked out to many deal collecting sites earlier this week, but until yesterday they kept it offline under threat of legal action by the mega retailer. After the OK was finally given, the entire Walmart Black Friday ad has been posted and it contains a lot of deals. Best of all, you won't have to wait outside for any of the savings since Walmart will be open all night over Thanksgiving -- although you will have to wait until 5 a.m. to make your purchases.

Walmart's biggest Black Friday deals:

Get 20% off almost everything at Kodak.com during their family and friends sale.

Use code HOLIDAYS2009, which expires on Sunday, Nov. 22. The coupon is case sensitive so make sure you use capital letters. The discount will automatically be applied at checkout.

Kodak sells a lot more than cameras, like digital picture frames, video cameras, and printers. They also have a trade-in program if you are thinking about upgrading your equipment.

Caveats: the discount does not apply to disposable cameras, the KODAK OLED Wireless Frame, clearance, refurbished products, shipping, handling, or tax. Cannot be combined with other discounts.

Thanks, Josh!

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.

Want to avoid overspending on Black Friday? An amino acid you ingest in Thanksgiving dinners with lots of carbs and turkey could help you fight off that urge to impulse buy, according to a study by two researchers from the University of Utah's School of Business.

Aril Mishra and Himanshu Mishra suspect that the effect is chemical. Turkey and other traditional Thanksgiving foods contain the amino acid tryptophan, which increases the levels of serotonin in the brain.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which aids the passage of messages through the brain, influencing many functions including sleep, memory, learning, sex drive, mood, and appetite. The body uses trytophan to make serotonin.

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.

In case you've been living under an enormous, soundproof rock this week: Sarah Palin is back. And she's everywhere you turn, promoting her tell-all biography, "Going Rogue," and addressing the hot-button subjects of Levi Johnston, Katie Couric and the infamous hundred-thousand-dollar wardrobe.

Concerning that last subject, the New York Times turns to a voice that we actually haven't heard before: the fashion stylist who engineered Palin's campaign trail wardrobe. In a fascinating sitdown, Lisa Kline explains away some of the bills.

In the world of advertising, the Tropicana disaster of 2008-09 is already legendary.

The orange juice container redesign by controversial brand guru Peter Arnell eliminated the familiar straw-in-an-orange image in favor of a photo of a glass of OJ. This killed the brand recognition developed over many years, resulting in a 20% drop in sales and the loss of millions of dollars within two months. Tropicana beat a hasty retreat to the old design.

Now, according to Advertising Age, Coca-Cola is taking a similar risky step, re-branding its Minute Maid line of juices. The company wants to eventually harmonize the images surrounding the brand and the others it owns, including Del Valle, Andina and Cappy.

The new orange juice design features whole oranges, slices, and leaves to suggest the groves from which it comes. As you'll see from the pictures above, the new packaging has more green, and the blue is gone. I like it.

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.

To lure more traffic on Black Friday, department store chain Kohl's is allowing customers to create their shopping lists online.

Nov. 22-27, shoppers can compare shop, print out ads, prices and photos of items on their Holiday wishlist, the Wisconsin-based chain said in a press release. It would be just like creating a wedding or baby shower registry, and the online list would help shoppers focus on things they need rather than indulge in impulse buying.