Everybody probably has a story. Here's mine: a few years ago, my wife sent me on a mission to Wal-Mart to land that mythical creature: the $299 laptop.

They appear every year around this time, with $299 always the magic price point -- regardless of the capabilities, that's about as low as notebook prices go.

So I set up shop in a Wal-Mart parking lot at about 3 a.m. (yes, I am ashamed of this; even more ashamed when you learn how it turned out). There were a good 25 or 30 people ahead of me and by 6 a.m., another 200 or so behind me. Of course, none of that mattered when they opened the store doors and the mad rush of holiday shoppers stormed past me. Obviously, I failed in my quest and my wife (sympathetically) has never sent me out before sunrise again.

Now what does this have to do with your smart biz?

You may not want to hit the stores before dawn, but there's still a good chance to pick up some good bargains -- especially on tech products -- this weekend.

CNET took a scan of the holiday flyers and found a handful of deals worth chasing, including a Toshiba laptop and printer for $229 at Best Buy; a Compaq Presario for $299 at Circuit City and a Dell Vostro for $399.

Are you willing to fight the crowds to save a few bucks?

Happy holidays and happy shopping!