Black Friday

Black Friday

The biggest shopping day of the year! To self-proclaimed "shopaholics", this day is an early Christmas, the day we look forward to all year. The day where everything is on sale. Oh, Happy Day!

The point is if you are planing on going out on this mad day in hopes of finding most of your Christmas gifts, there are some pointers I can give you.

Make a list of all the people you are planning on buying gifts for – It is important to know how many items you need to buy. This way you can better budget your money and have an ideal of what you are planning to spend. Round up all the sale papers generated for this day – Know what is on sale, who is selling it, and during what period those items are on sale. Some stores have the sale going on all day, but some only for a few hours. It is good to know what stores you need to hit first.

Decide who is getting what – On your list of ‘gift-receivers’, mark down the item you would like for that person instead of making a list of items to buy. This way, you can keep track of who gets what, but also, it is a way of double checking that you purchased a gift for everyone you wanted to. This will alleviate most of that last minute gift buying. Plan for alternates – Items go quickly on this day, especially popular ones. There is a chance that you won’t be able to find that ‘Tickle Me Elmo’. Find alternate, and less popular, gifts for everyone on your list. Double check your list once more –Go over the list again just to make sure that you have everyone covered. Place your list either in your purse, wallet, coat pocket, or wherever you know that you will remember it and get to it quickly while out shopping.

Do Not Sleep In - The early bird definitely gets the worm on this day. Most people are up and out of the house before dawn. Most stores are opening up especially early. Don't think you can sleep until 11:00 and still be able to find those Manolos for 50%. They will be gone before the 7 0'clock hour. Check out the newspapers or online to check out the best deals and the opening times of stores. Have You Game Face On - You can't be a wuss and think that you have a fighting chance amongst the bargain shoppers on this day. People will elbow, kick, pinch, anything it takes to get that last Tickle Me Elmo. Be aggressive. When you see an item you want, keep a tight hold on it. Do Not Leave Your Basket Unattended - I have had several items disappear out of my shopping basket when I've turned around to get another item. It will happen, Folks. People aren't generally nice on this day.

Have Your Lists Ready - Make out your gift list before going to the store. Most stores would have put out a sales paper in the Sunday paper. Decide what you want to get the night before and make a list. Know what you want before entering the store. There is no time when you get there to try and make up your mind. By time you do, everything will be gone. Do Not Stop To Socialize - So, you see someone in the store that you haven't seen since high school. I know it is great to see them and you want to brag about how great your life is now that you got the braces off and lost twenty pounds. Suffice to say, now isn't the time to do that. You have a job to do, and things to buy. Stop quickly and get the phone number; save it for after the sales. Avoid The Layaway Lines - If you can, try to avoid the layaway lines. You will find yourself in one the entire day and miss out all the good stuff in other stores. Plus, I've heard more than a few horror stories where items were missing or hard to find when time came to pickup your layaway order. If it can't be avoided this shopping season, this is something to keep in mind for next year. Try to save a little a month just for this day.