TAMPA - I’ve got a full day scheduled at the Tampa Tribune/WFLA news-o-plex today, so I won’t have a chance to visit the department stores or Best Buy. However, I did check out Amazon.com before leaving the house. I saw an excellent deal for a compact photo printer: the normal price was about $100, but starting at 9 a.m., it would be available for $10.

At 9:01 a.m., I logged back into Amazon.com. The photo printers were sold out.

I suppose this means that people shopping from home on Black Friday are just as impatient for a great deal as those heading to brick-and-mortar stores. Anyway, it’s just as well. I didn’t need any more 3x5 prints of my new nephew (the world’s cutest baby) cluttering up my house anyway.

(One more point to make: I did all this before I came to work. I don’t want anyone to think I was shopping on company time – certainly not my boss! However, as the business reporter who covers work place issues, it’s important to note that many experts recommend that employers allow their workers to shop online during their lunch breaks. It helps workers manage their time, and saves them the frustration of rushing out of the office and dealing with crowds in order to pick up presents.)

- Dave Simanoff

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