There seems to be two different trains of thought concerning “Black Friday” or the day after Thanksgiving.

1 train says ‘OMG, no WAY am I going out in the cold(ish) just to get a few sales!”

The other train says “Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Where’s the coffee?!?!”

Can you tell which train I’m on?

I had never given much thought to it either way before I had kids – and truthfully, even after I had (a) kid(s) but before I could AFFORD to go out shopping a whole month before Christmas.

But then a shift happened and we could afford to start shopping a little earlier and wow!!  I was a convert.  Perhaps it’s because I had to work on Black Friday at in a big retail store, and people thought I was crazy, but I was so excited!  I loved the rush of people stampeding streaming through the doors at the magic time, then the maybe 10 minutes of relative quiet while people shopped.  THEN, those same people trying to get through the check-outs!  Omg, it was crazy. I loved it!

For me, once I wasn’t working there anymore, and as we’ve added more kids to our family, the draw of big sales and great deals has grown into a necessity.  This year, with us living here in West Virginia, I have already begun plotting out my plan of attack for Black Friday.  Money is extremely tight, so I need to use my head, not my emotions, to figure out where and what I’m going to ATTEMPT to buy during those magical Black Friday hours of 5am – 7am.  Fortunately, we have several more shopping options now that we live here and so I won’t be limited to the TWO stores I was able to go to in New Hampshire!

My plan of attack begins with online research.  I already have an idea of what my family  might like for Christmas, so I search for those online Black Friday ads – I already KNOW what’s going to be on Sale on Friday, so I can plan out which stores to hit FIRST, and which I can wait for the rush to be over at.

I already know, too, that some of these “sales” aren’t really that big of a deal.  Especially with companies finally figuring out that people shop online ALOT and will save some of those big DEALS for their online shopping fans.

1. Do not bring a purse.  Bring just your form of payment, and your ID if you need to.
2. Do not bring a coat.  Dress in layers if you’re in a colder climate, so you can just take off that sweatshirt if you need to.  The crowd will keep you warm enough, and it will help you to stay calm in case of anxiety.
3. Don’t bring your kids.  They don’t need to be in the middle of all this chaos, and they’ll just slow you down! LOL
4. One really important thing I do is that although I grab a shopping cart, I don’t drag it around the store with me.  I will go and park it somewhere that’s NOT part of a big sale, such as HBA.  Then I can just walk up to whatever it is I’m trying to get, without having to maneuver a shopping cart with me.  If even HALF of the shoppers did this, we’d all get through this much faster!
5. A lot of stores have set up a way for you to pick up large electronic purchases without you having to lug them into your cart.  Utilize it!
6. Do Your Research! Just because something is a great PRICE does not mean it’s a great buy.  The number of returns I saw in the hours and days after those “great” buys – including my own! – were astonishing.  Although I won’t name names, there are certain “discount” brands to AVOID – but I suppose that’s for another post! LOL
7. That leads me to my next big tip.  Shop stores with GOOD return policies.  Just in case you do have to return things, be aware of the return policy, particularly if you’re paying with a check.
8. Have fun!  Wear your silly Christmas shirt or sweater, your reindeer antlers, your jingly Christmas socks.  Don’t make this into such a somber day just because there are 5,000,000 people trying to get that EXACT.SAME.BARBIE!
9. Know your limitations.  Do crowds freak you out?  Should you take a xanax before you go? Only YOU know that – but be sure you take care of yourself first!
10. KNOW the sale hours.  If it’s 7:10am and you’re trying to buy something whose sale ended at 6am – and you just wasted all that time in line for regular price, are you going to go postal?
11. Control your impulse buys!  I bought a dvd for myself last year during Black Friday that IS STILL UNOPENED!  Sure, it was a great deal at $5 – but it was still $5 wasted!
12. There is no 12. 

Target will definitely be on my “hit list” this year.  Before moving here, I’d really never had the opportunity to take a look at Target (although I did work at 1 for a week! LOL) but have been very pleasantly surprised at their prices, selection and in particular, their food department!

Target & TwitterMoms want to know what YOUR plan of attack is for Black Friday.  Do you just stay home, asleep and comfy?  Do you get up at 3am and arm yourself with a thermos of coffee so you can be the first one in the door?  Are you the SPOUSE of someone who never even goes to bed, because she’s so excited for the sales.Sales.SALES!  Visit TwitterMoms and tell us your plan!