The Web site DealNews.com has an even more extensive list of Labor Day sales than the one I put together below. Theirs is organized by type of item. Here are some of the best sales:

Kitchen, Bed, & Bath
Amazon.com: Need to stock up on kitchen appliances? Amazon.com slices up to 70% off kitchen and home appliances during its Labor Day Sale. This includes items from KitchenAid, Lenox, Bissell, and more.

IKEA: Furnish your house and snag a free breakfast at your local IKEA this weekend. The Swedish furniture store is cutting up to 50% off select furniture and serving free breakfast at select locations until 10:30am.

Linens 'n Things: Linens 'n Things cuts up to 50% off a selection of items during its Labor Day Sale. Plus, take an extra 20% off any one item via coupon code "AUG2808".

Men's & Women's Clothing and Accessories
BabyCenter.com: BabyCenter.com is having a sitewide Labor Day sale with up to 40% off baby merchandise including car seats, cribs, toys, and more. Plus, use coupon code "EXTRA15%OFF" to get 15% off your purchase of $150 or more.

Liz Claiborne: Liz Claiborne takes up to 85% off...

I got the sweetest email from a reader last night. Gillian writes: "Hi Julia, I adore your column as I'm always in search of bargains. I wanted to pass on a little miracle which was given to me and could possibly benefit a lot of people.

"Last week the right front hub cap of my 2000 Toyota Corolla was either stolen or fell off due to questionable driving on my part. A friend of mine told me not to go to the dealership and directed me to Mike at Culver City Hub Caps and Wheels, 4228 South Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City 90230. Phone (310)559-1200. I went and discovered a treasure trove!

"He has hub caps galore, new and used in pristine condition hanging all over the store. He immediately found one for my car, put in on, cleaned my others and I was out the door in ten minutes. He charged me a grand total of $25.00 instead of the $120 I would have been charged by Miller Toyota (I checked). Please pass the info on as he's such a lovely man and I would like to return the favor.

"Many thanks,
Gillian"

I did a quick check online for Toyota Corolla hubcaps and Mike does seem to have good prices. For folks outside of LA, you can find similar hubcap prices on Hubcaps.org.

I found slightly higher prices on Hubcap Haven.com and HubcapZone.com

Prices were slightly cheaper on HubcapMike.com. Wonder if it's the same Mike? Wouldn't that be funny!

Get 60% off gift certificates at Restaurant.com in celebration of Labor Day. On the site you buy certificates in set amounts for specific eateries. Make sure to read the particular redemption rules for each certificate because many require a minimum purchase, some are valid only on certain days or for certain hours.

To get the discount use code LABOR when checking out. Right now $25 certificates are selling for $10, but with the discount they are $4 each.

At Los Chilenos in Canoga Park, which makes empanadas, above, redeeming a $25 certificate requires a minimum food purchase of $35, excluding alcohol and beverages. An 18% gratuity is added and the certificate can be used for dining in only.

Unclear how long the promotion lasts for.

I'll say right here that I have not seen this production at the El Centro Theatre in LA so it could be a real snoozer, for all I know. The one review I found online was positive, anonymous and got cut off in the second sentence by a bad link.

But...if you want to see "The Subject was Roses," about a soldier who returns home from World War II to find his family has grown even more dysfunctional, you can get half price tickets by mentioning the Bargain Hunter.

Tickets are $7.50 (orig $15) until it closes September 18. Shows are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 pm. The production is by the West Coast Ensemble.

To make a reservation call (323) 460-4443, hit #2 for "The Subject was Roses" and mention the Bargain Hunter to get the discount. You should also be able to get the discount at the box office, which only accepts cash.

The El Centro is at 800 N. El Centro in Los Angeles.

A ton of retailers are having sales this holiday weekend. If you haven't finished your back to school shopping, this weekend is a great time to get discounts, thought you may have to fight the crowds. Here's a concise roundup.

Macys has mattresses, rugs and furniture on sale this weekend, in addition to markdowns on typical categories like clothes, shoes and handbags.

a href="http://jcpenney.com/jcp/default.aspx" target="_blank">JC Penney's sale is Friday and Saturday, with a focus on back to school items. Online get free shipping on orders of $49 or more.

Kohl's sale is Friday and Saturday.

Bloomingdales offers 30 to 50% off already reduced items online and 20 to 66% off home items in stores and online. Both sales go through Monday, September 1.

Fry's sale prices are good through Tuesday, September 2.

Chef's Corner is offering $10 off purchases of $99 or more through Tuesday, September 2

Overstock.com offers 10% off all purchases with some caveats and exceptions. Read the fine print first.

Get $10 off a $40 purchase at Walgreens Friday, August 29 and Saturday August 30 only. Print the coupon here. One per customer.

The closer your purchase total comes to $40 without going under, the higher percent off you get (max 20%). Items must come to $40 before taxes to count.

Caveats: excludes prescriptions, prescription co-pays, tobacco, alcohol, gift cards, and pre-paid cards. Find a Walgreens near you.

Gotta love the guys at Woot.com. They make electronics funny. Now they've turned their comic eye on the Democratic National Convention with this SNL-style list of 10 things to look forward to at the donkey fest. (With it ending today we can see how many of their predictions came true.)

If you don't have a sense of humor, you should not read this post. If you think I'm biased, check back next week when Woot's shares their top 10 list for the Republican National Convention.

Without further ado...10 things to look forward to at the DNC.

1. Video set to Crosby, Stills and Nash just to reassure the upper middle class that Obama isn't as black as they think

2. Joe Biden reveals he has begun estrogen therapy in bid to lock up the transsexual vote

3. Carefully framed camera shots that hide everyone but twentysomethings and celebrities

4. Confused booking coordinator schedules speech by Jamie Kennedy

5. Two stabbed in heated debate over...

Gas prices have dropped almost 30 cents across the nation in the past month, according to the AAA Fuel Guage Report. In California the drop has been even more dramatic - 37 cents.

But don't get too comfortable. Seems like the slightest hint of a threat can send them back up, and indeed Tropical Storm Gustav off the Gulf of Mexico has already raised some concern, according to the Austin Business Journal. The price of crude oil has risen for the past four days, reaching $118 a barrel this morning.

"Forecasters say Gustav could potentially be the worst storm to hit the mainland United States since 2005 when hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast region," the story says. "Those storms ground offshore energy activity to a virtual halt, leaving a great deal of production 'shut in' for months."

The storm could force many oil rigs to shut down production. Some companies have already begun evacuating employees.

"In addition to oil prices, the forced shut down of offshore operations will affect the natural gas industry as well," the story continues. "About 15 percent of the natural gas produced in the United States comes from the Gulf."

Gasoline prices always rise quicker than they fall so fill up soon!

Kids under the age of 12 can get a free glass of milk and a cookie weekday afternoons at specific Le Pain Quotidien bakeries in September and October.

To get the deal, they must come with an adult, who must buy something. The PR rep tells me there is no minimum purchase, so you could buy a cup of coffee, a sandwich, or a cookie for yourself and your kid will still get the free treat.

The promo is happening at five locations around LA, in Studio City, Pasadena, Brentwood, Larchmont (opening mid-September), and Claremont. Click here for a list of their stores across the globe. Scroll way down for the LA stores.

Caveats: must drop by Monday through Friday between 2:30 and 4pm. While there is not a specific limit on the number of kids who can come with each adult, the deal is intended for family to bond with their children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. If you bring in a dozen kids, there's no telling if the store will honor the deal.

(not my actual lunch) Wednesday comes and I'm desperate for a Lincoln Lunch, that $5 meal I am so fond of. I'm cruising Vanowen Street looking for a score when I pass Valley Produce, a large supermarket with a marquee outside that lists a dozen more businesses, including Jerusalem Grill (no Web site, unfortunately). But there is only one building. Hmmm.

I pull a U-turn and head into the parking lot of Valley Produce. The front spots are packed and the back lot is surprisingly full considering it's a Wednesday afternoon.

Jerusalem Grill is in the entryway to the grocery store, a large open space that is buzzing with customers. Even on weekends my local Albertsons does not get this crowded!

I am delighted to find 13 sandwiches for $5.50 or less and ordered the chicken shawarma, a dish that always takes me back to a dirty street in Conakry, the capital of Guinea in West Africa. I was there visiting my sister, a daring peace corps volunteer, and was exhausted after the long trip from New York. It was nighttime and I told Kate I needed food. In an alley we found this dingy hole in the wall grill and she ordered two shawarmas, which I had never had before. The food was hot, flavorful, and one of the best things I ever ate.

I didn't expect the shawarma from Jerusalem Grill to live up to my carefully crafted...

Get 30% off one regular priced item at Borders now until Monday, September 1. Gotta be part of their free membership program, which you can join only in stores. Not good on sale merchandise. Print the coupon here. One per customer.

Caveats: cannot be combined with any other offer, including but not limited to "3 for 2," "Buy 4, Get 5th Free" or "Buy 1, Get 1 Half Price" offers. Excludes previous purchases, non-stock special orders, gift cards, newspapers, magazines, comics, coupon books, eBooks, digital downloads, self-publishing programs, Rosetta Stone® software, shipping, and all electronics, including the Sony® Reader and the ZuneTM.

Find a Border's near you.

Get 20% off your total purchase at Godiva online. The deal is good today through Monday, September 1. Use code SAVE20 when checking out. The code works on regular and sale priced chocolates

A box of worldly chocolates is $15.50 (on sale for $18.20, orig $26). An 18-piece gift box of chocolate mousse treats is $28.80 (orig $36).

Caveats: valid in U.S. only. Not valid at Godiva Boutiques, department/specialty stores, or through 1-800-9GODIVA. Not valid on previous purchases, and cannot be combined with volume discounts or other promotions or offers. Not redeemable for cash. Not valid on orders over $600. Orders must ship by 9/30/08.

A reader recommended I check out A&M Book Cellars in Canoga Park for jaw-dropping prices on paperbacks. I would be bowed over by the store, he promised.

I was - and I wasn't. A&M is one of those stores where homemade signs point customers to the door that still works. The merchandise is not perfectly organized and the floors are a little dusty.

But the prices are remarkable. A hardback of "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen (a fabulous book once it gets started) in gift-worthy condition was $5. Paperbacks copies of Tom Clancy, Mary Higgins Clark, Catherine Coulter and Patricia Cornwell books were half their cover price ($3+) and in good, but not perfect, condition.

The store had sections for romance, legal thriller, science fiction, western, and young readers. The top shelf in many of those sections are $1. Books not marked are half their cover price.

In the bargain room books are a quarter each, five for a dollar, or 15 for $2. The titles are not entirely obscure, as I suspected they would be, but their condition suffers more than the rest of the store. In the bargain room I saw "The Firm" by John Grisham, a hard back copy of Tom Wolfe's "Bonfire of the Vanities" and "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkien.

A&M has been around for 24 years and one employee claims it is the last independent paperback bookstore in the Valley. Even if that's not true, the store is...

Take advantage of eBay sellers looking to unload a Luis Vuitton purse, slacks from Bannana Republic, or Calloway golf clubs with Typo Buddy, a site that helps you find misspelled items on Ebay.

When a hapless seller doesn't use the correct spelling for their item, fewer people find it, which means less competition and fewer bids. So you may be able to get a better price!

The way Type Buddy works is you enter the correct spelling of the item you are looking for and they run a search of common misspellings. The site also works for Craigslist. Read more about the site.

I tried searching for iPhone, which is on Hubby's wish list, and got 119 results. Mostly miscellaneous crap came up, including Ivana Trump's "For Love Alone" DVD. Lame.

When relevant items came up, like this iSkin cell phone pouch, I had a hard time telling if it was a better deal than correctly spelled items. A little cross comparison would help so give it a try and let me know if it works for you!

Nordstrom's shoe clearance has hundreds of pairs of shoes for 40% off. There are 44 pages online and with 21 pairs per page that = 924 pairs. Examining them all is going to require a lot of shirking of duties at work! For you, I mean, not me. I'm on a shoe moratorium. :(

A black leather short boot with a 2 1/2 inch heel from Frye, above, is $160 (orig $270). A Tsubo leather sandal with a low wedge heel and wide peep toe opening is $65 (orig $110).

A super cute and fishy Chooka rain boot is $35 (orig $60). A Keen Ventura sneaker is $35 (orig $60). I paid $50 for a pair on sale at REI so this is a good price. A few kid's pairs are also on sale.

Find a Nordstrom near you.

Buy one bottle of wine, get a second bottle of the same wine for 5 cents. More than 100 wines are eligible for the deal. A bottle of Red Bicyclette Pinot Noir, above, is $13.

Browse their 5 cent whites, 5 cent reds, 5 cent spirits and 5 cent mixers that are part of the sale.

Caveats: Club Bev membership is required to get the deal. Joining is free and every time you spend $250 you get a 5% off coupon that is good for one year. The nickel sale is limited to supplies on hand. Vintages subject to change. No adjustments to prior purchases.

Find a Bev Mo near you. Unclear when the sale ends. Thanks, Wilcox!

The Crate & Barrel upholstery sale starts August 29 and goes through October 5. During the sale custom upholstery is 25% off with some 2,000 fabrics and leathers to choose from. The store has more than 150 frames and furniture styles.

Before the discount, the Javier Ottoman with grown up blossoms in red, creme and yellow on a dark chocolate background is $500.

Caveats: sale does not include stock or stock plus. In select stores only. To find a participating store call 800-323-5461 or click here. In LA stores with furniture include Beverly Hills and The Grove.

Right now the store has free shipping when you buy bedding online, over the phone or through the catalog. The deal includes sheet sets, quilts, duvet inserts, pillows and mattress pads but does not include decorative accent pillows, throws, mattresses, foundations or Outlet items. Ends September 30 at noon CT. Excludes all bedding sold in Crate and Barrel outlet stores and online outlet.

Get a $1 kid-sized scoop of ice cream every Tuesday night at participating Baskin Robbins stores. The cheap treat is a 2.5 ounce scoop that normally sells for about $2. Some stores will give you an adults scoop (usually about $2.50) for $1.

To get the discount drop by Baskin Robbins between 6 and 10pm on Tuesdays. You don't have to be a kid to get the deal, which is ongoing.

To find out if your local Baskin Robbins is participating call them. Stores are listed here. But remember to call! Just because a store is listed does not mean they are participating.

I love Baskin Robbins' mint ice cream, but I'm a sucker for that flavor pretty much anywhere.

Do you see four or more plays a year? If so you may want to check out OnTheHouseTickets.com. It costs $225 for a one year membership or $130 for a six-month membership. Mention the Bargain Hunter and get $10 off until October 1, 2008.

Members get free tickets to a dozen or more shows each week. The way it works is On The House receives free tickets from shows that need to spread the word or fill the house if a critic is coming, then passes the freebies onto members, who can attend more than one show each week.

Once you join the owner Tracy e-mails you when tickets become available. If you are interested in a particular show, call her Tuesday through Thursday between 1 and 5pm or on Friday between 1 and 4 pm at (310) 392-7588. She takes your reservation and makes sure your tickets are waiting at the box office.

You get a pair of tickets for each show. Tracy was tight lipped when it came to sharing some of the shows she gets tickets to because she doesn't want to hurt her relationship with the theaters (imagine if you paid $$$ for tickets and the dope next to you got in free). But prospective members can email her and ask her for examples of shows they would get tickets to if they joined.

If for some reason a show starts selling tickets like crazy and wants its freebies back, Tracy will call you and ask if you will release the tickets. But in the two years she has run the site that has only happened three times, she said. Occasionally, tickets cost $3 to $5.

Thanks, Bruce!

These two stores make N one of the most expensive letters around. Not that I have the moolah to shop at Neiman Marcus or Nordstrom, but if you do, or if you enjoy getting style ideas from the two department stores (and then running to Target), you should know that they are both opening new locations in the Valley next week.

Neiman Marcus opens September 5 at the Topanga Mall in Canoga Park in the newly dubbed "luxury wing." I wonder if any of the upscale stores like Furla or Burberry in the Canyon part of the mall will move to be closer to Neimans.

As part of their opening festivities, you can attend or participate in a fashion show hosted by Jenny McCarthy September 6 for a chance to win prizes worth $1,000.

Also on September 5, Nordstrom opens at The Oaks Mall in Thousand Oaks. The store kicks off the opening with beauty demos and consultations starting at 8 am.

Get all of the day's new blog post e-mailed to your inbox when you sign up for the Bargain Hunter daily digest. I send it out once a day, Monday through Friday.

The daily digest is the best way to see if there is anything interesting to you on the blog.

You can join by plugging in your email at the upper left corner of the blog or by emailing me. I don't share e-mail addresses.

Let me know if you want to get the local digest, which is for Angelenos, or the national digest, for readers outside of LA. Thanks!

PS. Because no picture goes with this post I opted for a random humorous one. What a great way to get back at a crazy neighbor!

Remember Woot.com? The site sells one item for 24 hours starting at midnight until it sells out or the day ends. The site was so successful they started sister sites Shirt.Woot, Wine.Woot and Sellout.Woot (a daily item sold through Yahoo! Shopping).

Turns out the business model is so popular Woot has been named the fastest growing private retailer in the U.S. by Inc. Magazine. With $117 million in sales in 2007, the company has seen 4,988% growth from 2004, when it had $2.3 million in sales.

That's crazy growth. Woot ranks 25 on Inc's list of the top 5000 fastest growing private companies, for all industries.

The funny guys at Woot talk about the honor. "When we finished admiring ourselves, we remembered what brought us to this lofty echelon: you guys. Without your enthusiasm, your word-of-mouth evangelism, and of course your money, all we'd have is a warehouse full of junk and a couple of frustrated writers who think they're funny. So thanks to Inc. Magazine for the honors, but thanks to all wooters for making those honors possible."

The four Woot sites are good ones to keep in mind and the sites' forum are a great resources for shoppers with questions about that day's product. Thanks, Dana!

Here are links to all the deals mentioned in today's column.

Discounted theater

$5 off with Google

Bra sale

REI 30% off

Fight back

School resources

Lincoln Lunch: Hot dogs