Holiday 2006: The season of broken dreams
Shoppers getting stung as stores post 'out of stock' signs on T.M.X. Elmo, PS3, some Plasma TVs.
By Parija B. Kavilanz, CNNMoney.com staff writer
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Has anyone seen Elmo?
Elmo seekers found this sign at the Toys R Us store in Times Square.
Has anyone seen Elmo?
Don't expect to find him at Toys 'R' Us on Black Friday, either. The toy retailer told CNNMoney.com Tuesday that the company won't have T.M.X Elmo in its stores on Black Friday and wouldn't disclose whether or not the toy would be available over the upcoming holiday weekend.

But on Wednesday, Toys ‘R’ Us said it would continue to get T.M.X. Elmo shipments on a regular basis and expects to have the toy in its stores over the holiday weekend.

"When you have a kid crying because he doesn't have Elmo you can't pacify him with an alternative toy. Will there be a lot of disappointed kids this year? Absolutely," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with market research firm NPD Group.

T.M.X. Elmo is "currently unavailable" on walmart.com although visitors to the retailer's Web site are told to try their luck at their local Wal-Mart.

KB Toys' Web site says T.M.X. Elmo is "sold out." But the 10th anniversary version of the furry red doll is available on eBay if you don't mind paying double or triple its original price of $39.99.
Wal-Mart's hiding some Black Friday deals After Web sites leaked its post-Thanksgiving discounts, Wal-Mart says it'll unveil more "specials" only on walmart.com and not in circulars. (more)
5 insider tips to smarter holiday shopping Experts offer secrets to help beat the crowds, save money and even make a few bucks while you shop for this year's gifts. (more)
Midnight at the mall Eager to steal each other's Black Friday sales, more malls are planning to open their doors as Thanksgiving ends. (more)

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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.