The Best Places to Shop for Black Friday Deals in the Philadelphia Area

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is one of the busiest shopping days of the holiday season. Retailers open early on Black Friday and offer markdowns on popular items. The Philadelphia area has some great places to shop for Black Friday deals. Here are some of the best places to shop for Black Friday deals in the Philadelphia area.

King of Prussia Mall. (160 N. Gulph Rd King of Prussia, PA 19406(610) 337-1210).The largest shopping mall complex on the East coast, The Court at King of Prussia and the Plaza at King of Prussia are connected by a covered walkway. The mall houses 400 stores and restaurants, many of them upscale, as well as a bevy of department stores that include Macy's, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and Lord and Taylor. Upscale stores include Tiffany & Co., Kate Spade, Louis Vuitton, DKNY, and Gucci. Houseware stores include Pottery Barn, Ethan Allen, William-Sonoma Home and Smith and Hawken, with Crate and Barrel within walking distance of the Plaza. There are plenty of stores for kids, too, including Learning Express, The Disney Store and The Lego Store. The King of Prussia Mall complex is truly a one stop destination for Black Friday shopping. Just be sure to wear your walking shoes.

Wal-Mart (location across the Delaware Valley). Superstore Wal-Mart is one of the best places to get Black Friday deals in the Philadelphia area. There are dozens of Wal-Mart stores in Philadelphia and New Jersey. This season Wal-Mart has already advertised that they will offer 100 toys for $10 each, including items like My Little Pony, Lego, Transformers, Littlest Pet Shop and Hot Wheels. Expect to see deals on electronics and other hot items as well. Wal-Mart also offers their Black Friday deals online (although their server crashed due to high demand in 2006). Wal-Mart opens at 4:00 a.m. on Black Friday.

Toys 'R Us (locations across the Delaware Valley). Toy superstore Toys 'R Us should on any parent's Black Friday list. Toys 'R Us has locations in Exton, King of Prussia, North Wales, Media and Langhorne, as well as several locations in Philadelphia. Toys 'R us features great Black Friday deals on toys and popular electronics and video games. Toys 'R Us will open at 5:00 a.m. on Black Friday.

Gallery at Market East (9th & Market Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19107-3111 (215) 625-4962). If you want to stay in the heart of Center City this Black Friday, look no farther than the popular Gallery at Market East. This mall features 130 stores including Big Kmart and Burlington Coat Factory. There's also a Toys 'R us Holiday Express store, tons of clothing stores and entertainment stores like EB games and Suncoast. The mall also boasts over two dozen eateries, so shoppers can recharge during their Black Friday shopping spree.

Target (locations across the Delaware Valley). Everybody's favorite discount store, Target offers Black Friday bargains on select electronics, toys, games and home goods. Target has recently opened several new locations in the Philadelphia area. Be sure to check out Target's Black Friday ad in the Thanksgiving Day edition of the newspaper to find out what this season's sale items are. Target opens at 5:00 a.m. on Black Friday.

Kohl's (locations across the Delaware Valley). Department store chain Kohl's offers deals on clothing, accessories, house wares and children's toys on Black Friday. There are several Kohl's locations in the Philadelphia and New Jersey area. Kohl's opens at 4:00 a.m. on Black Friday.

Philadelphia Premium Outlets. 18 West Lightcap Road Limerick, PA 19464 (610) 495-9000. This outlet mall located in Limerick, PA offers discounts year round- and Black Friday is no exception. Featuring 150 factory outlet stores like Coach, Calvin Klein, Lucky Brand, White House Black Market and Michael Kors, you can find deals on designer fashions for everyone on your list. For more holiday gift ideas, be sure to check out Crabtree and Evelyn, Harry and David, Perfumania, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Book Warehouse and Go! Toys and Games. In-store promotions are listed on the Philadelphia premium Outlets website.

Franklin Mills Mall, 1455 Franklin Mills Circle, Philadelphia, PA 19154 (215) 632-1500. Located 15 miles northeast of Center City Philadelphia, Franklin Mills is another big mall that offers a lot of variety for diehard Black Friday shoppers. With anchor stores like Marshalls, Burlington Coat Factory (don't let the name fool you- this store sells much more than just coats) and Dave and Busters (a combo entertainment stop and restaurant), this mall will keep you busy all day long. There are several gaming stores for kid's items, lots of clothing shops and, if you happen to have your kids in tow (not recommended on Black Friday, but...) this mall even features an indoor skate park. Pretty cool for a day at the mall.

Sources:
http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?id=1245
www.walmart.com
www.toysrus.com
www.kohls.com
www.target.com
www.kingofprussiamall.com
http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=75