Black Friday is Coming! Are You Ready?

What is Black Friday, you ask? Black Friday is the name given to the Friday after Thanksgiving. Most stores will have sales and deals that are not available any other time of the year. Black Friday is also considered the start of the Christmas shopping rush. It can be very profitable to do shopping on this day rather than others, but you do need to be prepared.

You will see more people in the stores than you've ever seen on any other day. People will be cranky and mean and ready to tear a limb off for whatever item they are looking for. It can get quite ugly, so just expect it. Here are some recommendations to help Black Friday go as smoothly as possible for you.

Get the ad papers. Make sure you know what the store is planning on carrying. Most stores will have these ads out before the day of the sale, so if you didn't receive one by mail, you may want to go into the store and pick one up before Black Friday.

Have a clear plan outlined before you head into a store. This isn't the time to go up and down every aisle, at least not at first. You need to know what you're going in for and where it is. So when you go to pick up the ad papers, take a walk around. Know where each section is that you'll be looking at. Ask an employee if you need further assistance. You may even get a little secret information out of them about the deals they're having.

If you know people that work at the stores, call them up. Use your contacts to get ahead of the mad rush of people that will be flowing in the doors. They probably know information you don't with regards to the sale, so ask them. You may be surprised what you find out.

Know what starting and closing time of each store. You may want to show up early if there's an item you really want and the ads have indicated there will only be a limited number of items per store. And certainly you don't want to show up after the store has closed. Usually the ads will have the hours on there, but if you can't find it or don't have the ad, call the store.

Make sure you hold on to your cart. If you have something in it that is popular or that someone wants and you don't have that cart firmly in front of you, it will more than likely be taken. Don't turn your back on it for a second. If you do have an item you happened to get the last one of or something of that nature, make sure you hold on to that one. Don't put it in your cart. Keep a firm grip on it at all times.

Bring water with you. The lines will be long. You will find yourself staring at the back of the person's head in front of you for longer than you care to. Now, be careful with this water. Don't drink too much, otherwise you'll have to go to the restroom and leave your cart behind. So if you're someone with a small bladder or water runs right through you, you might want to hold off on that.

These are just a few ways you can help Black Friday not be so stressful. There are a lot of people who consider this day their Olympic event. Prepare ahead of time, contact anyone you think can give you a bit of an upper hand on some of these Black Friday Athletes, and never turn your back on your cart.

I hope this Black Friday is a great one for you. I hope you find lots of great deals and sales. I hope you return in one piece and watch out for the sweet looking little old ladies. When it comes to a sale, they're not usually so sweet.