Black Friday Sales in Columbus, Ohio

If you've been to the mall lately, you've noticed that most stores are already decorated for Christmas and holiday music is piping through the speakers. So, ready or not, the holiday shopping season has begun.

For some great sales and crazy crowds, the day after Thanksgiving, AKA Black Friday, is a day that cannot be missed. I used to be a real diehard up-before-dawn shopper that day until a couple of years ago when my co-shoppers failed to wake up and answer my knocking and then I was rear ended in the Tuttle Crossing Mall parking lot. So, needless to say, I don't try to get in line before the store opens just to get a $10 gift card or some other prize. However, I still make it to at least a couple of stores that day, after some of the hoards have died down.

One of the best places to research and plan out your shopping strategy is the internet. There are many sites that list all the Black Friday sales weeks ahead of time. Bfads.net has actual scans of store ads right now including prices and pictures for Kmart, WalMart, OfficeMax, and Sears. Blackfriday.gottadeal.com has listings for Kmart, Ace Hardware, Fred's, Sears, OfficeMax, and Harbor Freight including pictures, prices, rebates, and whether it's an early bird special. Dealtaker.com has many more store sale lists though some are just "rumored". Their list includes all the stores mentioned previously PLUS Staples, Rite Aid, Best Buy, Radio Shack, and Target. I suggest copying and pasting items you're interested in along with the respective store into a Word-type document and print it off to help you come up with an agenda for the big day. This will also keep you from having to carry around a pile of store ads and trying to sift through to find the right one for each location.

Another place to look for sale listings is the Thanksgiving Day edition of your local newspaper. That is when they put in a ton of ads for all the Black Friday sales. I'll look through all the ads, making note of which stores I want to visit. Then I'll try to figure out what part of town has all or many of those stores within a short distance of each other. I'll add this to my agenda so I don't backtrack, miss a sale time or fight the crowds in a store that doesn't have what I'm looking for anyway.

My favorite stores to shop on Black Friday, by the way, are Kmart (my least favorite of the 4 though), Meijer, Target, and Ace Hardware. They usually have really cheap deals and the crowds for Meijer and Ace aren't terrible. Target and Meijer have lots of aisles open so lines aren't AS bad either.

Some sales only run certain hours. Kmart may have certain items on special from 6 to 11 am and others from 11 to 1 pm and so on so make note of these times on your agenda if you have a particular item in mind. Also, certain items will sell out quick so try to get to the store as close to the sale start time as possible. They won't mention this in the ad but many stores will only have 2 or 3 of a particular item causing them to sell out even faster. I know Kmart and WalMart have done this on several occasions.

Some last things to add on to your agenda/itinerary is sizes, colors, and any other required information for each gift you're purchasing and who you're purchasing it for. This way, you can quickly look for a size/color instead of trying to decide once you're in the store. Having the name of each gift recipient alongside your shopping list enables you to check off each name not only to prevent accidentally buying twice for the same person but also to feel a sense of accomplishment in your holiday endeavors.

Once you have your agenda planned out, I suggest planning what you're carrying into the store. A fanny pack, while not the most attractive, frees up your hands and allows you to have one less thing to keep track of. In it, I'd throw in your method of payment, your agenda/itinerary, a snack bar or apple to keep up your energy, some gum and even a small bottle of water or pop (unless you're shopping somewhere like Target that sells them). Believe me shopping can work up a real thirst.

Lastly, try to have fun or at the very least not stress out too much. You can always buy a gift card as a last minute gift if all else fails. Don't burn yourself out too early. Try to plan some fun and relaxing activities with friends or family that day also like going to a movie or letting your kids wrap a couple of gifts you bought. Have leftovers or go out to eat so you don't have the added stress of having to fix a meal. Don't feel that you have to get all your shopping done in one day because that probably isn't going to happen with your sanity intact.