Common Sense Advice from a Black Friday Shopper of Over 20 Years!

"Black Friday" is a disease that many consummate shoppers fall prey to but one day a year....that day being the day AFTER Thanksgiving. This disease is one that is hinted at and symptoms may even show themselves at other times of the year but the true force of this disease is not apparent until the day after Thanksgiving. This is when the disease hits at its hardest, causing the sufferer to awaken long before dawn, dress in the cold dark, grabbing track shoes as the sufferer slithers out the door to his/her car.

If the disease stays on course, the victim will soon find him or herself in a cold dark parking lot preparing to join a group of several hundred men and women awaiting the unlocking of the doors to Mecca and the mad rush to be the first to grab that 50% off GAMEBOY within. This disease has been known to cause otherwise sane people to run screaming into B&M stores demanding their "coupon books" or in the case of JC PENNEY, their "Collectible Disney water globe {one to a customer, thank you!}.

There is no known cure for this disease although sufferers can lessen the nervous twitches and panic attacks that come with this disease. They can in fact be a frequent visitor at the website gottadeal.com http://www.gottadeal.com/ and visit their special "black Friday" section http://www.gottadeal.com/bfindex.php to learn as much as possible BEFORE the doors open on the day after Thanksgiving.

As a 20 + year sufferer of Black Friday, my advice would be to find as much information as you can before Black Friday, organize your "hit list" with care and "dress in bright colors" (the better to intimidate the weaker shoppers in the crowd).....and have fun!

Black Friday is a day filled with crowds, long lines, crabby people and bargains but it is also known to give the sufferer a feeling of great satisfaction when they return home with that "perfect" gift! Good luck....and watch your cart, there ARE those out there that have few scruples and will snatch bargains out of your cart if given half a chance!

While there should be warning signs posted so shoppers can avoid all the shoppers after the elusive bargain of the day, there unfortunately are not. So, for those who are new to the game, be warned, Black Friday is not for the weak of spirit or the slow of foot. It is a move or get out of the way day and if you cannot handle that, then perhaps you should stay in bed and shop online....whatever your choice. Good luck and may the coupons be with you!