How to shop on Black Friday in 10 Easy Tips:)

Every year I say I will not waste my precious sleeping hours to shop. Last year I had a baby and escaped the pressure. Although I was up with my my week old baby at 3 am anyway:)The main reason I cave each year comes down to the fact that I am cheap. I get giddy about getting a good deal. So for all of you who are not sure if you will brave the crowds next year I am here to help:)

#1 Browse the ads ahead of time. Circle all of the things you are interested in from each store.Then you have to prioritize. You can't be at three places at once.Of course you can send a friend or family member to another store if you agree to get what they want at your store. If both stores open at 5 am you have to choose what you want more. I usually find the store that has several things that I want. I will not fight the crowds for a $1.99 board game and then go home. Right out a list of what you want the most out of those items. If they are on opposite ends of the store you may not get to all of them before they are gone.

#2 Stake out the area. Walmart is open 24 hrs so you can go anytime to see where they have all of your top items. Then map out the area(note: not a actual map--unless you have a significant amount of time:) to figure out the quickest way to get to your next item of importance. Most stores don't open their doors until the time alotted so you can go a few days before to familiarize yourself with the store. It would have been less nerve wracking for my little sister if she knew which way to go for her IPOD at Rc Willey.


#3 Go early! This is the most important of all. Different stores have different demands. We arrived at Walmart at 3:45 am for the opening at 5 am. We had plenty of time to find everything we wanted. They had roped all areas off and watched everyone close. RC Willey opened at 8 am and we were in line at 5:30 and were still 55th in line. This can be crucial if there are only 45 IPODS and everyone in front of you wants one. Also they usually have a prize for the first ones in line. We received a $25 gift card. I got a Wii sports controller set for $5 instead of $30 thanks to this card.

#4 Bring a group of friends or family. It is just more fun to have people to talk to. You will be in line for hours at a time and will die of boredom. Plus the more people you have the better system you can work out. My little sister was in charge of one area in childrens wear. I was staked out in shoes and my big sister had the front of the store covered. She is the the expert so she had more responsibility:) She grabbed the hoodies, dvds and track suits. I really hate it when people bring their kids though. It is cold, early, and can be dangerous. I don't want my kids to see the real world yet:)
This is my little sister at 4 am telling me she was not excited about "risking her life" for Princess pajamas:)


#5 Be prepared. It is November in Utah--temperatures can be brutal. I remember one year thinking I was going to lose my toes:) This year was awesome. I still had a scarf, hat, coat, gloves, and blankets. Bring a blanket to sit on or a camping chair--you WILL be there for hours. For entertainment we had magazines, books, card games--although mostly we just talked. Don't forget snacks for the wait. I usually can't eat at 4 am but by the time 7 am rolls around I get hungry. Walmart had people come by with trays of McDonalds breakfast foods they were selling for a dollar. Shopko handed out free cocoa the year I went--the toe freezing year. We got lucky at RC Willey becasue they had a gas station nearby so you could get some snacks and use the bathroom. Of course you can't leave the line unless you have a group saving your place.

#6 Bring cell phones. There are a lot of people and you don't want anyone to get lost. Once my sister reached the Ipod line the other sister was on the other side of the store and we had to call her to figure out where she was. Too much noise and confusion. I don't have a cell phone personally(Yes, I could be the last person on earth without one:) but I borrowed my moms for the occasion. Phones also come in handy if you get bored and want to talk to someone who won't hate you for calling at 4am:)We had another sister who was shopping an hour away from us that we wanted to check up on.

#7 No shopping carts.These get in the way for everyone.It is frustrating to be rushing and be trapped behind someones cart. I brought my big canvas bag to toss items in.


It may also be wise to have a large vehicle to hold all of your loot!


#8 Grab first- sort later. This is what my sister does best. It is frustrating when you are looking for different sizes for your kids when someone else snatches the size you want. My sister grabbed 3-4 sizes that looked right then we went away from the chaos to sort through it.Then you put them back for those who may not have gotten there as fast.

I got all of these items for $38! Each shoe and clothing item was only $4. DVD was $6.99, Wii itself is usually $30 and I got it for $5. I also got some gingerbread houses for the kids at half price at Michaels crafts.


#9 Figure out what you want ahead of time and stick with it. Just because it is a good deal doesn't mean it is a good idea. It is stupid to go into debt while you are trying to save money. I set an amount of $60 and I stayed within it. If I were to buy those same things next week I would have paid $145.

#10 ABOVE ALL don't butt in line, push, yell or lose your integrity over a sale. People have been seriously hurt or killed over greedy people trying to save a buck. You have to be assertive though. At 5:30 we were 54th in line and by 7:30 we were 74th in line because of people letting their friends and family in. It is frustrating to freeze in a line for hours and see someone hop out of their warm car and butt in line 5 minutes before opening.It is all about the numbers and my sister was getting pretty ticked off as her chances for an Ipod went down everytime someone butted....The best news of her day was when that Ipod was in her hand for only $69! Funny how a cranky teenager can get so sweet all of the sudden:)

Bottom line--arrive early and be respectful. RC willey handled it by putting up caution tape and watching the crowd. Every year there is someone who casually hangs out by the entrance and pushes their way in when it opens. Just remember that it is supposed to be fun and it is only stuff.