Helpful Hints for Black Friday Shopping: How to Deal with the Rush and Rush to the Deals!

It's almost here, folks. The biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday! This day after Thanksgiving ritual is quite an exciting one. It officially marks the start of the Christmas season while offering the best buys on everything imaginable. Last year was the first year I went Black Friday shopping and it is definitely an adrenaline rush! I suggest everyone experience it at least once in their lifetimes; even if you are not looking for a specific hot item, it is worth the people watching, to say the least.

Whether you are a Black Friday rookie or a seasoned pro, it is important that you establish a game plan before setting out. True BF-ers mean business, and the massive amount of people crowded around any specific store can spell chaos if you are not prepared. That is why I am here to offer you my personal Black Friday tips so you can maximize your shopping time and minimize your stress level.

This year I will be venturing out to Sandusky, OH, for this shopping extravangaza. I went here last year and had the time of my life. It is very nice because of the location; practically every kind of store imaginable is on the same street, Milan Road. This brings me to BF Tip #1: Plan on shopping in an area where stores are close together.

In Sandusky, there is a Wal*Mart, Meijer, and Target within a minute from each other. Not to mention the mall, Best Buy, and Lowe's, along with several banks (you never know when you'll need a little more cash), and over a dozen restaurants for fuel. BF Tip #2: Bring food with you, or allot for a breakfast break. When you get to the stores at 5 AM, by 8, you will be famished. Do not expect to shop without eating; being around so many people and so much noise without some food in your tummy spells disaster.

BF Tip #3, don't go it alone. Bring your spouse, parent, sibling, friend. You will need someone to talk to as you wait in those lines, and you will want someone to have your back if you're going after a hot item. Plus, shopping by yourself=dull! Be sure to have a cell phone with you, however, in case you get separated from your group.

Finally, this brings me to BF Tip #4, which is probably the most important tip of all: look at the ads before you set out!! In fact, get a newspaper, and bring all the ads with you on your journey. Circle the items you want, and set up a map so you know which stores you want to hit. A GREAT website which supplies all these circulars is bfads.net. This way you can get some ideas ahead of time, and have all the resources available at once. However, I still recommend getting the paper version of all these ads. They are easier to view and nice to carry with you.

And now, what you've all been waiting for... my favorite bargains of 2007 (All stores are available in the NW Ohio area, specifically Sandusky)!

At Meijer, 32" Envision LCD HDTV, $399.99
At Meijer, buy 1 PS3, XBox 360, or Wii game, get 1 50% off
At Target, Audiovox 10" portable DVD player, $84.00
At Target, Trutech 19" 1080i Widescreen LCD HDTV w/ Built-In DVD Player, $199.00
At Target, assorted Wii games, $28.00
At Best Buy, assorted video games, $4.99
At Toys R Us, Howie Mandel DVD Game Show 3-Pack, $24.98