When should 2009 Black Friday Ads appear online? Some alleged 2009 Black Friday Ads appearing online today are fake, reports Reuters.

In 2008, LALATE profiled the deployment of Black Friday ads from several national retailers. Whereas you should not see official ads online until that Friday, you can in fact see official teasers from retailers starting as early as the Monday before.

In the case of Apple, LALATE profiled an official teaser in 2008 put on the Apple website days before BF. It read “Come back to the Apple Online Store this Friday for a special one day only Christmas shopping event. You’ll find dozens of great iPod, iPhone and Mac gift ideas, all with free delivery.”

As you can see, three things worked:
1. The notice came directly from the retailer rather than some 3rd party website.

2. The notice in fact gave a suggestion of which products might get Black Friday discounting.

3. The information was on one website and only one website – Apple’s.

How big are the discounts? LALATE in 2008 covered Amazon.com’s Sharp Aquos 42 inch tv LCD HDTV. It was offered on Black Friday for $999.98, compared to a list of $1500, an approximate 33% saving.

So for buyers always  wait to get the information from the retailer and rely on information on their wesbite. However, prepare ahead of time. Choose your products and know their normal full retail price ahead of time so that when Black Friday notices come you will be ready.