Erica's Black Friday Shopping Tips

      Black Friday. It's one of my favorite days of the year. The crazy crowds, the amazing deals, the real start to Christmas. I've become quite the professional Black Friday shopper over the years and I would like to share some of my tips with you.
     First, I'll tell you a little about my Black Friday experience. I start out Thanksgiving night at the The Crossings outlets in Tannersville, which open at midnight. I then work my way back to Dickson City and hit all of those places and any other place I'd like to go to. That is pretty much my day, simplified.
 
    And these are my tips to you, fellow Black Friday shoppers.

1. Train. Start now if you haven't started yet. You basically have to be like the lady in the red jumpsuit in the Target commercials. Nowadays, many stores do not just open at 5AM, they begin their sales at midnight. The biggest thing is tailoring your sleep schedule. I work on this all year round. You must be able to run without sleep for at least 36 hours, unless you are able to sneak a nap in on Thanksgiving day. Make sure your legs are up to the test. It is a lot of walking, running, and standing around. Get on that elliptical. You will need strong arms to push people out of your way, as well. Strong hearing for when the cashier says, "I'm open at 16!" Strong eyes for spotting the perfect deals. And most importantly, a strong mind to make quick decisions and not let anyone get you down. I use the Game Show Network for this type of training. of the brain.

2. On Thanksgiving, it is important to eat turkey early. If you eat turkey too late, it will make you tired during peak shopping hours.

3. Pack leftover turkey to go. Wear a coat with a lot of pockets or bring a large purse (also good tool to push people out of the way). Don't you dare eat the turkey sandwiches yourself. Give them to fellow shoppers in line or in the stores. It will make them tired while you are drinking your coca-cola mixed with red bull. (it tastes like candy!)

4. If you can, go to the stores before Black Friday. For stores like Target or Walmart, map out your must have product path. For clothing stores and such, go to the store and see if there is anything you know you will want that night. You cannot do this too early before Black Friday, as many stores will change their layout and may have new items. Make note of where each thing is and the original price.

5. Always bring friends. The more the merrier. Especially when there are long lines. When I am at the Crossings for example, as soon as we get in the store, one person stands in line while the rest shop. Every 15 minutes, we rotate. Some lines you may be standing in for 2 hours or more.

6. Check out the ads. The ads come out for a reason. To see the ads earlier than Thanksgiving day, head to blackfriday.info. This will make it easy to compare prices at different places and figure out what it is you are setting out to buy that day.

7. Look into VIP Shopper's Clubs. The Crossings has one. I am a member, of course. You will be piling deal on top of deal with these things. They will let you know if the stores open earlier. For instance, some stores may open at 10PM on Thanksgiving night. If you are not a member of the VIP Shoppers' Club, chances are, you won't know that. Also, pay attention to the VIP coupons. They can all be added to the actual Black Friday deals, but watch out. Some are only good from midnight -5AM or 5AM-9AM. Plan accordingly.

8. Dress in layers. It is easier to take off than put on. It gets very cold. Coldest time being 4AM. It is also a good idea to keep a warm pitcher of tea or hot chocolate or coffee (of course, not decaf) in the car.

9. Bring a sick friend with you to infect everyone else. Make sure they don't stand too close to you and you'll be on top of your game while everyone else....won't be.

10. Feet and hand warmers. Go buy em.

11. If you like waffles or not, you will get an intense craving for waffles around 5AM. No time to stop at Perkins, so put some waffles in your pocket.

12. Don't be afraid to push. There are nasty people out there. They will spit on you. They will beat you up. But don't take their crap. Push them, shove them, make them get out of your way and that sweater or big screen TV will be yours. (Don't spit back at them, it may get you taken into custody...or just taken out of the store...opposite effect of what you want)

13. If it's possible, grab a shopping cart. Easy to store things (just keep an eye on it, there are some nasty thieves out there) and perfect for pushing people out of the way.

14. It is important to wear comfortable shoes and clothes with lots of pockets. You never know what you may need on that day. Pack some silly string to distract other shoppers from grabbing YOUR new GPS.

15. Make a list of what you plan to get that night. Many deals for me are spontaneous and I just end up buying a lot of extra stuff, but it is a good idea to have a list of what exactly you are looking for that night. Put it in one of those many pockets you will have.

16. You must have eyes everywhere. People will take things right out of your hand if you are not paying attention.

17. DONT FALL ASLEEP YOU MUST STAY AWAKE. Keep thinking, "Good stuff cheap," like the Ollie's motto, but better stuff than what you may find in an Ollie's.

18. Don't stress yourself out. Everyone seems to make this mistake. If you are having fun, you will have a much better Black Friday experience.

19. Dress like a superstar. I know it can be hard to dress warm and with a lot of pockets AND like a superstar, but dress like one and people will think you are one. They will be distracted by how amazing you look and will feel self conscious about themselves in their pajamas. It will throw them off their game.

20. Finally, remember, you idolize this woman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wer7b29mreA