If you skipped the Black Friday weekend madness, retailers are hoping today's Cyber Monday deals will persuade you to start your holiday shopping.

Many local merchants and most national chains are sending out emails, tweets and Facebook alerts, hoping to entice customers with online-exclusive deals, free shipping and other promotions.

Many retailers started early, releasing Cyber Monday deals over the weekend.

I'll update this post throughout the day with noteworthy deals.

Please post any good Cyber Monday deals you discover.

Not all stores and shopping centers embrace the big Black Friday rush.

At Raleigh's Cameron Village, most stores open an hour earlier than usual. There are parking spots, good deals and workers with time to help shoppers.

Read Martha Quillin's story here.

Small Business Saturday is today.

For more information on local events, go to shoplocalraleigh.org, shopdowntownraleigh.com or sustainabull.net.

As you're prepping for Thanksgiving and the kick-off to holiday shopping, here's a sampling of stories that just might save you some time or money, or inspire you with a new idea or two.

Click HERE to read my story on Black Friday shopping, which might well be called Black Thursday, with so many stores now open on Thanksgiving Day. Along with the story, be sure to check out the lists of freebies, helpful smartphone apps and a couple of gift suggestions for the minimalist on your list.

If you prefer to shop local and support small businesses here in the Triangle, head over HERE to read our story on what's going on for Small Business Saturday.

And even though you haven't even put your Thanksgiving turkey in the oven yet, food writer Andrea Weigl is ready to help when Friday rolls around and you've got turkey leftovers staring at you in the fridge. Click HERE to find inspiration, along with numerous recipes.

Hey folks. I need your help.

Black Friday is looming and I need your thoughts -- both positive and negative.

I'm working on an upcoming story and need to interview folks who fall into the two Black Friday camps:

*die-hard, bargain-loving shoppers formulating a Black Friday game plan.

*and those who prefer to do their shopping in their jammies.

Shoot me an email at adunn@newsobserver.com with your contact information. I promise I won't take any more than 10 to 15 minutes of your time.

Hot news in the couponing world.

CVS is changing up its tradition of rewarding bargain shoppers with bags full of free merchandise on Thanksgiving Day.

Instead, the retailer's annual freebie extravaganza will start this Sunday, Nov. 18, according to the advance ad posted HERE on the CVS.com website.

There are dozens of items that will be completely free after Extra Bucks Rewards. Find a coupon to match and you'll have a moneymaker on your hands.

Here's a sampling of the freebies to be had:

Black Friday, the traditional kick-off of the holiday shopping season, is still more than 10 days away but you've got to start doing your homework now to get the best deals.

From the comfort of your own home, without the clock ticking, you can check Thanksgiving Day circulars and make a Black Friday game plan.

Here are a few websites that specialize in Black Friday deals to get you started:

Target will open its doors to Black "Friday" shoppers at 9 Thanksgiving night -- a full three hours before it opened last year, the retailer announced today.

But for the Minneapolis-based retailer's most loyal customers, twenty of Target's best deals will be available online as early as Wednesday.

Among the deals offered Thursday night at bricks-and-mortar Target stores:

If you have to work on Black Friday, the news is not all bad.

The folks at Seattle's Best Coffee want to perk up your day with a free coffee offer.

Head over to the Seattle's Best Facebook page and sign up for a free sample of the company's Level 3 blend, enough to brew a 10-cup pot. The offer is available through Nov. 25, or while supplies last. Click on the Black Friday Coffee Break icon.

Or, if you don't want to brew your own, tell the boss you're taking a coffee break and stop by...

Here's proof that the Black Friday shopping frenzy is fast approaching.

Wal-Mart "leaked" its own ad early today and upped the ante even further by guaranteeing customers ultra-low "door-buster" prices on three hot items, including the Apple iPad 2.

If shoppers are in a Wal-Mart store and in line for these items between 10 and 11 on Thanksgiving night, Wal-Mart is promising customers these three deals:

• an Apple iPad 2 (16GB with wi-fi) for $399, plus get a $75 Wal-Mart gift card.

Is Black Friday the best day of the year to snag a bargain?

In most instances, probably not, says the Wall Street Journal.

In an Oct. 8 story, the Journal concluded that the so-called "Door Buster" deals may truly be a deal -- if you are among the first few to snag them. But for most items, the lowest prices were not found on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.