On Monday, MTA Light Rail passengers can sample Dunkin Donuts' new breakfast sandwich at the Timonium Light Rail stop in exchange for a donation of non-perishable food, personal hygiene items or money to the Maryland Food Bank. The promotion will be held from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.  on Nov. 23 and the samples will be given away while supplies last.

On Tuesday, the Downtown Partnership will throw its annual Holiday Lunch Party, with participating restaurants giving away free samples at one of six office building lobbies. Click the link to get details on the purveyors and locations for this Nov. 24 event.

Dealnews.com has compiled a list of stores that will match competitors' prices on Black Friday, including Walmart, Home Depot and Lowe's. Sears, on the other hand, will not. 

That way, no worries that an item will be out of stock and no need to stress out about early morning lines. As long as you're armed with a sales circular featuring your coveted product, you'll be able to stroll in hours after the retailers open, pluck your desired item off the shelves and then go camp out in the customer service line to get a manager to approve the competitor's price.

Just be sure to have an official circular, not one of the 'leaked' versions available on the Internet, warns dealnews.

I'd add this additional caveat: 

They include:

Magnavox blu ray disc player for $78

Sanyo 50-inch plasma hdtv for $598

Tomtom 3.5 inch gps for $59

Reversible fleece jacket for $7

Children’s sleepwear for $3

The discount retailer hasn't officially released its Black Friday circular yet. But some websites are posting "leaked" Black Friday Walmart ads. You can find one version here.

Hmm. Was it the name? That wouldn't surprise me. The terror watch list is full of mistaken identities. Or was it the outfit? I'm betting it was the whole terra cotta look. It's hard to pull off and just so 200 BC.

The army of short soldiers will still march into the city tomorrow, and prizes will be given away, but their will be no live leader. Sad, really.

Toys R Us said it is opening at midnight, five hours earlier than it ever has. It will offer more than 70 doorbusters from midnight to 1 p.m.

Shoppers can search the toy retailer's website starting at 12:01 Wednesday to preview more than 100 unadvertised "mystery deals" that will be available in stores on Black Friday.

Deals include a free $50 gift card with the purchase of any Ipod touch, 65 percent off of a sleeping beauty styling head vanity, $100 off of a 12-foot trampoline and 50 percent off Wii Fit accessories. The retailer will also give out 250,000 free boxes of 64-count Crayola Crayons with any purchase.

Best Buy said that it will start offering Black Friday-like prices at its stores today, a week before the traditional start of the season. It is selling 32" Dynex, LCD HDTV's for $299.99 and 40-inch Dynex LCD HDTV's for $499.99. It will also offer Black Friday prices on Samsung models starting this Sunday.

Kohl's said it will post its Black Friday print ad on its website on Nov. 22. It will include more than 300 early bird specials. The store will open at 4 a.m. that day and offer specials until 1 p.m. Deals include a $69.99, 7" portable LCD TV, $34.99 cashmere sweaters and 50 percent off toys by Fisher-Price, Playskool, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Play-Doh, Tonka and other brands.

Destination DC, Washington's tourism group, is invading Baltimore on Friday to promote the new "Terra Cotta Warriors" exhibit which opens today at the National Geographic Museum in D.C. They're bringing along an artist, Chi Chang, who performs as a live terra cotta warrior and who will "delight crowds with his interactions." I'm told he will be popping up at locations around town between 9 a.m. and noon tomorrow (if you see him, snap a photo and send it to me and I'll post it here.)

In addition - as if we needed more - Chi Chang is bringing his army. A very small one. Some 200, 8-inch tall terra cotta warrior statues are being placed in high-traffic areas throughout Baltimore. If you find one, you're supposed to log on to a Web site (presumably noted on the statue) where you will find out if you have won a trip to Washington, including round-trip Amtrak tickets, a one-night stay at the very lovely Madison Loews hotel and two tickets to the warriors exhibit. There's only one vacation prize, but lots of other consolation loot like museum tickets etc.

UPDATE: Sorry to disappoint anyone who was looking forward to seeing Chi Chang, but his trip got derailed. Check out Michelle's update on the DC travel promotion. -- lfk.

Photo courtesy of Destination DC

Apparently flooding in Atlanta and mechanical problems at a waffle plant in Tennessee have left the Kellogg Co., manufacturers of the iconic round breakfast pastries, predicting Eggo shortages that will last through the middle of 2010.

Then over at Garden Variety, gardening blogger Susan Reimer fills us in on the latest canned pumpkin crisis news:

Customers will also receive a coupon for a free 8 oz. cup of chili that can be redeemed within the next two weeks. 

The nearest California Tortilla locations seem to be on Pratt Street in downtown Baltimore, near BWI Airport and at Quarry Lake, although there are also shops in Laurel, Mount Airy and Annapolis.

The reason for the promotion, according to the press release that Sun dining blogger Elizabeth Large shared?

Consuming Interests, The Sun's consumer blog, has been charged with finding the Baltimore region's best deals and discounts, and that list will be published Nov. 27 in honor of Black Friday.

In reviewing the ideas we've compiled thus far, I'm having a hard time gauging which of these bargains are too well known to mention and whether any have too small an audience to be deemed a valuable tip.

Please let us know which (if any) are your favorites, or if we've missed any winners, by weighing in via the comments field below.

Here's the original list, with the new candidates at the top: 

Normally, Coinstar charges 8.9 percent to change coins into a voucher that can be exchanged for cash, but that fee is waived if you select to receive your currency in either an eCertificate (for Web merchants like Amazon.com or iTunes) or a gift card for stores like Old Navy or Pier 1. Check the Coinstar locator to find machines that offer eCertificates and gift cards (search for specific products).

And now through Dec. 6, if you put more than $40 in a Coinstar machine, you'll receive a claim form at the end of your voucher that can be redeemed for a $10 gift card or (updated) a $10 eCertificate. Just follow the mailing instructions on your slip and send it in by Jan. 6, and you'll get the $10 card in the mail.

Remember to keep a copy for your own records, and bear in mind that it will take 6 to 8 weeks to process the claim, so don't bank on using that $10 for any holiday gifts.

Thanks to the Frugal Living forums over at About.com for the tip.

When you're hunting for gifts online, start your search at GoodShop.com, which partners with national merchants and retailers such as the Gap, Amazon.com, Dell and Target to donate a portion of sales to charities.

Here's how it works: search for your favorite nonprofit on the site, or add it to the database.

Then, look for your retailers. Be sure to check for any restrictions, as well as additional coupon codes. Some retailers offer free shipping or other offers to GoodShop customers, which they post on the individual store page.

Finally, click through to the merchant and make your purchase. Don't forget to hunt around for other coupons that might apply to this sale. 

Goodshop is brought to you by the people behind GoodSearch, which we have written about before. It allows Internet users to designate charities to receive a portion of the advertising dollars generated through web searches.

This month's topic is Black Friday, the popular post-Thanksgiving shopping day that is the official start of the holiday retail season.

Are you shopping Black Friday? Where will you go and what will you be buying? Can you really find deals on Black Friday or is it a marketing ploy by retailers to get people to spend money?

We want to hear from you. Check out our light source page to find the questionaire and other information about our "be a news source" effort: http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-lightsource-about,0,2031869.htmlstory.

Also, check out the real estate wonk to find out her take on the question.

Thanks in advance to all of you who participate.

The savings will run Nov. 21 - Nov. 27.

The world's largest retailer has already announced $10 toys and electronics deals as it tries to get ahead of its competitors in what is expected to be a tough holiday season for retailers.  It is also opening for 24 hours on Thanksgiving Day.

Examples of the savings include:

* 26" Vizio LCD HDTV $248, was $347

*Disney Princess Scooter, $99, was $129

EZ Bake Oven, $16, was $28

Baby Alive Newborn Doll, $8, was $15

Nerf Capture the Flag, $19, was $39

Shoppers who buy "Hero" game packages will receive $40 Walmart gift cards. The game packages eligible include Band Hero, DJ Hero and Guitar Hero.

The countdown to 2010 races at baltimoresun.com with our 10Spot feature. Every Friday for 10 weeks one Sun blog will post a top 10 list. Next week, in honor of Black Friday, your faithful Consuming Interests staff will bring you the region's top 10 hidden deals and discounts.

But first, we need your help! Let us know what you think of our suggestions below, and feel free to chime in with your own ideas.

Keep in mind, we are trying to highlight bargains that are local and unique to our area, but we're not restricting things to the city of Baltimore.

Without further ado, here are what we think are some of the best bargains in the region:

In New Jersey, Target is paying $375,000 for selling expired baby formula as well as charging incorrect prices at the register, according to the Associated Press. Under the settlement Target admits no wrongdoing but the company is adding a senior manager to ensure prices charged match advertising and training employees in price accuracy for the next two years.

New Jersey has already settled similar suits with Rite Aid and Duane Reade.

After breaking a previous agreement to stop selling expired baby formula, food and medicine, CVS Pharmacy Inc. is paying $875,000 to the state of New York, the Associated Press explains.

How do you stop yourself from bringing home expired goods? I can't say that I routinely check items not sold in refrigerator cases. I try not to buy items like over-the-counter medicine from low-traffic locations that might not rotate stock frequently, but that's not always an option. 

Remember ...