How to Conquer the Black Friday Sales

Black Friday will be upon us with its fabulous sales before we know it and while Black Friday sales are a great way to find bargains, Black Friday sales can also lead to headaches, meltdowns, and sore feet. If you aren't prepared for Black Friday sales with their traffic gridlock and pushy shoppers you may wonder at the end of the day why you left the house at all. Black Friday sales can be fun and productive though with some preparation and the right attitude. So here are a few tips and ideas for triumphing over those Black Friday sales.

1. Collect and Organize the Black Friday ads: Ok so all of the junk mail you get can be annoying, but don't just throw away those Black Friday ads. Also make sure to get a local newspaper with all of the Black Friday sales ads. You need information to conquer those Black Friday sales! Next, grab a marker and circle anything in those ads that you might be interested in buying on Black Friday.

2. Plan your Black Friday shopping day: The ads can now be used to begin planning your Black Friday sales trek. If any of your items of interest are only on sale for certain hours then be sure to mark that on the plan. Items with limited quantities indicate stores where you will need to be early and potentially in line at the door. If a specific item is available at several different stores find which store has the lowest price and see if you want to go to that store for any other reason. If not check out the other stores for price matching to help cut down on the number of places you need to go. Be sure to plan in some time for lunch and traveling between stores.

3. Plan with your friends: Plan to go to the Black Friday sales with your friends. Leave the kids at home if possible because a long, crowded shopping day with kids is almost certain to lead to crying and yelling. Hitting the Black Friday sales with friends is one of the best ways to go into it with the right attitude and to have some fun. Plan a nice lunch to have some downtime and to rest your feet before going on to more Black Friday sales in the afternoon.

4. Stay hydrated and fed: Conquering Black Friday sales requires stamina and as any marathon runner will tell you water is essential to any endurance event. Eating healthy food regularly throughout your Black Friday shopping will also help to keep you mentally and physically on top of your game. If you want to save some money and avoid standing in lines at the food court or drive-thru then throw a package of peanuts or raisins in your purse for a quick, healthy snack.

5. Shoes, shoes, shoes: Now I'm not talking about hitting up every Black Friday shoe sale (although you may plan that). I'm talking about comfortable shoes. High heels will not cut it during Black Friday sales. Black Friday sales require shoes that will allow you to outrun the person behind you in line to reach the last Wii.

6. "Night owl" shopping: "Night owl" shopping for Black Friday sales allows you to shop when there are usually smaller crowds and sometimes even better deals.

7. Internet shopping: It is possible to avoid the stores entirely on Black Friday by hitting the Black Friday sales on the internet. Black Friday shopping on the internet can take some planning as well though. Find out when your favorite stores will begin their on-line Black Friday sales by checking on the store website or other Black Friday sales websites.

Use these Black Friday sales tips and at the end of the day you can sit down amid your purchases knowing you enjoyed your day and successfully prevailed over the Black Friday sales.