Imagine it!  A 3am wake-up call.  A ball-cap, little makeup and maybe a little snow-dusting on the ground.  You and your peeps off to brave the crowds and score some of the best deals of the year!  Yep, we’re talking about Black Friday today.

Do you shop on Black Friday?  I have for many years and love it!  I love the thrill, the super-duper amazing deals, the opportunity to stock up on gifts for the entire next year at the lowest of low prices.  But most of all, I love the experience.  I love the bonding that my nieces and I have.  I love the fact that it feels completely insane to go out with other sleep-deprived folks, but we do it anyway.  There is a method to our madness, however…

What I’ve Learned for Shopping on Black Friday:

• Preview the ads.  Look through the circulars and decide what you want from each store.  If you want to check them out before the week of Thanksgiving, I like Black-Friday.net.
• Have a plan.  Know which stores you’re going to and in which order.  Know what time the stores open, too.
• Drink caffeine.
• If someone isn’t interested in buying anything at the store, have them wait in line for you while you shop.  (My wonderful niece does this at Kohl’s and Toys R Us for me.  Did I mention how great she is?)
• Don’t take a cart through Walmart…or most stores for that matter.  Unless you’re buying a big, heavy item, it is not worth fighting the crowds chained to a cart.
• If you’re going to be interviewed by a local news station at a store, make sure you’re shopping buddy doesn’t get camera shy…(AMY!)
• Drink more caffeine.
• Shopping on Black Friday is an adventure.  Share it with someone.  My nieces (ages ranging 16-19) have created wonderful and special memories.  

One last story:  About 5 years ago, Dan took our nephews out with him to buy a 42″ flat screen tv.  He was hesitating about, wondering if braving the crowds was the best idea.  But after an hour waiting outside MicroCenter, an hour waiting in line inside to pay and the hour around the back of the store to pick it up…even with the scent of teenage boy sweat permeating his truck, he still says it was one of his best memories with those boys.  So go ahead, shop early and make the memories!