The goal is to get the cheap laptop, not to be the unhappy, unsuccessful shopper shown complaining during a TV news report.

But those "secret sales" and "doorbuster deals" and "early bird specials" meant to get holiday shoppers into stores after Thanksgiving often come with disclaimers such as "while supplies last" and "limited quantity."

As a J.C. Penney spokesman noted recently, "A lot of those items go pretty quick."

For people considering going shopping on Black Friday or even the night before, the Pennsylvania attorney general's office recommends checking the situation out in advance.

Depending on the item, merchants are sometimes willing to give the sale price to customers who come on Wednesday, said Nils Frederiksen, deputy press secretary. Other stores may be willing to match a competitor's advertised offer, he said.

Even an Internet check is worthwhile, he said, because a price may turn up that's better than the Black Friday deal being offered down the street.

Earlier this week, one Internet site devoted to sniffing out deals around Thanksgiving sent out a note saying a number of retailers would offer those same deals online, too.

"If you go to the stores on Black Friday and find that an item you were looking for is sold out, there might still be a chance to get it," said the e-mail from BlackFriday.info. Many items could still be available online.

No matter how the deals and the technology change, there always seem to be some problems. A common consumer complaint is that a store only had one of an advertised item.

Mr. Frederiksen said retailers are not allowed to advertise something they do not have for sale -- but there's no specific requirement on how much of something they have to carry. Still, deception is frowned upon.

"It falls on the store to be clear in their ad that, yes, this is a deep discount but we only have a certain number of items per store," he said.

Getting information out there upfront can minimize the number of upset shoppers later.

Every year, Mr. Frederiksen said, complaints to the attorney general's office increase around the holidays. Disputes over exchanges and returns play a role in many. But with the office getting as many as 45,000 complaints in a typical year, there's no lack of miffed customers year-round.

To file a complaint, go to the state attorney general's Web site, www.attorneygeneral.gov, and click under the "complaints" header to find advice and the right form.