How To Survive Black Friday

• 1). Make a list, check it twice. You should be working on your Christmas gift list long before Thanksgiving and should set a spending limit for each person that you are shopping for. When the Black Friday sales are announced during the week of Thanksgiving, look at each and every item on your list and compare prices on all of the store sales.
  
  
• 2). Spend your money wisely. If you have a Christmas savings account, remove your money from the bank before Thanksgiving. Know exactly how much money you have to spend, and do not go over your budget. Remember that the money is set aside for buying gifts, you will have to plan on having extra money for food and fuel.
  
  
• 3). Get plenty of rest. The name of the game on Black Friday is "the early bird gets the worm". It is sometimes difficult to get away from friends and family on Thanksgiving evening, but it is important to get plenty of rest so that you can be ready for battle, well before dawn, Friday morning. A few stores open at midnight, most open the doors at 4:00 a.m., so prepare to wake up and start your day with plenty of time to be there before the doors open. Items such as electronics sell in a flash, and are often advertised with a very limited inventory. You need to be among the first in line.
  
  
• 4). Divide and conquer. Pre-plan your attack strategy by organizing your shopaholic friends: determine who hits which stores and what merchandise marks the X on the Black Friday shopping treasure map. If you think that you can shop alone on Black Friday and be successful, think again. The more people that you have with you, the better your chances are to get the bargains. Each person in your shopping group should have a mission and be positioned early to make sure she obtains it.
  
  
• 5). Know your merchandise. The old saying "you get what you pay for" is so true on Black Friday. If a certain store is selling a large screen television for $50, research the brand name. There are so many consumer review sites online, you can easily find the information that you are needing. Stores have different return policies for Black Friday sale items, so do your research before you fall for a "good deal".