Best Friday-After-Thanksgiving Sales in Beaverton, Oregon

If you live in the Portland/Metro area, you probably know about Fred Meyer's annual Black Friday sale. There are a few "constants" you can count on year after year, and I am not just talking about the free donut holes and apple cider. All socks are 50% off, as well as slippers for the whole family.

There are always plenty of toys and electronics on sale each year too. I subscribe to BlackFriday.com which posts store's After Thanksgiving sale prices long before the ads come out in the newspaper. This way I can be sure I have time to map my game plan for that Friday morning.

Fred Meyer on Walker Road in Beaverton opens at 5am the day after Thanksgiving and last year when we got there at 4:50, there was already a small line. Here are a few of my tips for making the most of your Black Friday shopping experience at Fred Meyer and where ever else the crazy morning takes you.

• Definitely subscribe to a Black Friday web site to get all the latest information on in store specials and sales. Why wait until Thanksgiving day to find out from the newspaper flyers what items each store will have on sale? Find out as soon as the information is available so you can map out your plan.

• Black Friday is a crazy day and a great way to make the most of it is to map out a plan. Decide which items you want and what stores you will need to visit. A store with lots of sales or with special "door busters" may need to be your first stop. Is there a hot toy or popular electronics item? Some of these things will go fast and stores stock them in limited numbers to get people through the doors. Figure out what item you want the very most and make sure you that store first. Realize that there are people out there who will buy up every single Bluetooth headset or Star Wars Lego x-Wing fighter, for example, and turn around and sell it on e-bay.

• Black Friday doesn't have to be a stressful day. It can be lots of fun, especially if you go with friends. At the very least, you will have someone to stand with in those long lines.

• Bring a cell phone and make sure those you are shopping with have them too. Use technology to your advantage. When you go into a store, you can split up and grab your things and meet up later. In Fred Meyer, they have shopping carts and pretty narrow aisles. The main aisle is always a traffic jam. Why not have one person with a cart and a few other people picking up their items and bringing them back to the cart. Use technology to your advantage.

• Be Positive, have a good attitude, remember the holiday spirit and spread some joy instead of anger and hate. It's easy to get upset at long lines and limited parking spaces. One time I stood in line for close to an hour. I questioned several times if the 3 darling microbead animal pillows were really worth it. However, in the course of that 55 minute wait, I made friends with the people standing around me. We talked and passed the time, sharing our own Black Friday wars stories. Later in the day I ran into those same people in a completely different store. It was like seeing old friends again! Make the most, not the least, of your situation!

• Take a break for lunch, relax, enjoy yourself and evaluate your progress. How are you doing on your shopping list? How much have you spent already? Are you under budget or over budget?

• Bring a black plastic garbage bag or two. When you purchase your items and bring them out to the car, put them directly in the bag. This serves 2 purposes. First, unfortunately thieves will take advantage of shoppers this magical, crazy morning by breaking into cars. The black bag helps keep items out of sight of potential thieves. If possible, keep your purchases in a locked trunk. The bag also comes in handy when you get home. Simply tie up the bag and hide it somewhere in the garage. If you have small children, you may even be able to hide it in plain view. I have a friend whose children would assume it was garbage and never gave it more than a moment's notice. Additionally, it's very easy to unload your car because you just have to pull out several plastic bags instead of individual items.

There is an energy at 4:30 in the morning the day after Thanksgiving that you just have to experience. I would never venture out that early in the morning without some good friends by my side, a well thought out plan, and a great sense of humor. I look forward to Black Friday every year.