BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart kicked off the online holiday shopping season early this year, with a cyber sale event that began on November 1. But the amazingly low prices that appeared on Walmart.com the following week were the result of a technical glitch, the company said.

Walmart kicked off the online holiday shopping season early this year, with a cyber sale event that began on November 1. But the amazingly low prices that appeared on Walmart.com the following week were the result of a technical glitch, the company said.

The initial round of offers included such deals as a 42-inch TV for $299, a 10-inch tablet for $49 and a laptop computer for $299. The retailer said it was offering early access to bargains that would normally be reserved for Black Friday or Cyber Monday, and was also offering its broadest free shipping program ever.

"We know that our customers start shopping for the holidays on November 1 because historically our traffic spikes the day after Halloween," said Walmart.com president and chief executive officer Joel Anderson. "Customers want to relax with friends and family during the holidays, and with our early deals we are helping them make the most of their time and stretch their dollars further."

Walmart said it also offers customers flexible shipping options, including free shipping for orders over $50 on nearly 99% of Walmart.com, and has tripled the number of items — to 70,000 — that customers can order online and pick up in-store the same day. Walmart has also doubled the amount of merchandise available on its website.

Walmart did experience a technical glitch on its website on November 6 that created deals too good to be true, even for Walmart. They included a computer monitor for $8.85 and a treadmill for $33.16.

Online shoppers took to Twitter to brag about the deals, which were blamed on an internal technical error, rather than on any external hacking of Walmart’s system.

Walmart issued an apology and cancelled the orders involving mispriced merchandise. Customers received refunds for the cancelled orders, along with a $10 electronic gift card.