Last Black Friday Feature: How Was Your Black Friday Spree?

You may know that I am Canadian so I didn't go for a huge shopping spree on Black Friday. However, I know you did so just for next year in case I decide on making a trip to the US for that day, how was your experience?
Was it fun? Was it tiring? How much did you buy? What was the best store you went into and which item that you bought was your favorite? Which mall did you go to? What will you remember about this day for a long time? Do you look at any stores or shopping in general differently now that this day has passed? How about some advice?
Please tell me everything!

Black Friday Feature: Shopping Time!

Come on! Get off the computer and shop! There's no time to waste because the deals aren't going to last for very long: Stock is going to run out and prices are going to gradually rise again.
Head over to your favorite mall and check out your favorite stores. Then, go to another mall and another. Follow the tips that I've posted and you'll make the most of this special occasion. Here they are in case you missed them:

Tips
Things Not to Do
Best Stores

One last thing you need to know: If you're having trouble with finding the perfect mall, try this comprehensive and easy-to-use U.S. Mall Directory. It basically allows you to search for any mall by either city, zip code or the name so you won't have to drive around town peeking into each shopping center.
Ok. If you're still reading this, you honestly need to hurry up and get out of your house. Really. Get out and shop!

Black Friday Shopping Tips: Top 10 Things Not To Do When Shopping

10. Do not get grumpy.

It's not going to help you to let your emotions run high. The only things doing this will accomplish is discouraging you and bringing down others around you.

9. Do not look for good parking spot.

Face it. You're simply not going to find the few spots right beside the entrances. Don't waste your time and get to the shopping. Settle for any spot you can find; a little bit of walking can't hurt you.

8. Do not bring your kids.

First of all, the huge crowds are extremely dangerous; children can easily get lost or even get kidnapped. Moreover, the little ones have the stores that they want to go into and stay in forever, which becomes a huge hassle. Allow them to make a list of things they want and take that with you during your shopping spree.

7. Do not bring valuable things.

There will be an amazing number of people in the malls on Black Friday and there's bound to be at least a few crooks in each one. You don't want to get your most precious jewelery stolen or lost.

6. Do not wear high-heels.

Ladies, this will be a long day especially if you're one of the really enthusiastic breeds of shoppers. Where comfortable running shoes that you will not become quickly tired in and brace yourself for a ton of walking.

5. Do not become intrigued by items you know you can't buy.

Hey, here's a rule: Engage yourself in stuff you will buy but ignore the stuff that you won't. It's just a waste of time and energy occupying yourself in admiring an awesome $20,000 swimming pool when you live in a condo.

4. Do not get out of line in frustration.

Every store is inevitably going to have unbelievably long line-ups that you simply cannot avoid. If you really want something, trust me, it's a good idea to wait in line for a while because there is not other time where you can purchase it at such a low price.

3. Do not go to stores with less than 20% off.

Retailers have sales all the time but generally not of this magnitude. However, some companies are a bit cheap and are only offering say 10% off its stock. You can get 10% off any time you want! Look for the exceptional deals with say 50% discounts.

2. Do not use a credit card for everything.

You've been witnessing the second worst economic meltdown in the history of the United States and financialists are dubbing it the "credit crisis". As you probably have distiguished, the reason for this is the fact that people are constantly not spending cash but using credit, which often gets them into big trouble.

1. Do not not shop.

This is pretty self-explantory. If you don't shop you're losing out on the biggest sales of the year. You should be hungry for these with the recent inflation levels.

Black Friday Feature: Why You Shouldn't Go Shopping at Walmart on Black Friday

Let's face it, Walmart has not only become a force in the economy but a building block of our everyday lives. Pretty much everybody goes to one of these huge department stores at least once in a while to purchase many things such as food, clothing and beauty supplies. The main reason so many consumers flee to such a store is obviously because of its low price guarantee. Americans, Canadians and for that matter Indonesians know that Walmart usually offers some pretty big discounts.
On the other hand, if you're considering visiting Walmart on Black Friday, it isn't such a great idea.
To begin with, as some people know, the actions of this corporation aren't exactly the most righteous and often, I find myself questioning shopping at all at such an immoral place.
Now, going back to the topic of Black Friday. First of all, this date is simply not the time to be making petty purchases of such things as candy and postcards; you should be thinking big. This is not to say Walmart does not have "big" things but its version of these products simply do not have the same quality as many other stores. Black Friday is a time where the price of everything drops dramatically and therefore, you can afford to buy that maple desk or gold wristwatch instead of the cheap stuff. Instead of going to Walmart for a hoodie or t-shirt, head over to Aeropostale, which is, by the way, offering 50% off pretty much everything in stock according to some sources.
In addition, I'll bet you can find better products at other specialty stores for even lower prices that what they are at Walmart. Sure, I'll admit that this retail chain has the best deals for the majority of the year. But for a few days, you should have no doubt in your mind that Best Buy is where you should go for electronics and Dick's Sporting Goods is where you should go for athletic equipment.
Last but not least, most people don't understand what I'm telling you right now so they're going to be running into Walmarts all across the country. This in turn means that the line-ups and crowds at your local "We Sell For Less Everyday" store will be enormous, humongous, gargantuan etc. Thus, it'll be unsafe if you're bringing children along and it'll also be a unnerving hassle just manoevering through isles.
With all this, on Black Friday, Walmart should not be on your list of shops to go to.

Black Friday Feature: An Introduction to Black Friday, Some Information

Black Friday is considered one of the busiest shopping days on the calendar in the United States, where many shops open very early and offer doorbuster deals to lure customers. As well, this day is often looked upon as the start of the Christmas shopping season and this year, is on November 28. In fact, each year, Black Friday falls on the day after Thanksgiving Day.
This day leaves shoppers in a huge frenzy with long line-ups at pretty much every store and enormous sales volume in every major retailer. Likely, this is why corporations brace themselves for the customers each year, preparing with massive price cuts of up to 80% is some places, huge amounts of decorations, advertisements employed in every place possible and extra staffing.
Website owners also are known to make individual websites just for the occasion, offering guides to the shopping day.
One interesting fact about this special day is the origin of its name: Black Friday is known to be a very chaotic, feverish and even stressful shopping day and is therefore a direct connection to "Black Tuesday", the notorious label of the stock market crash in 1929, which shared these aspects with Black Friday.

Come back for more Black Friday news, information and advice!

Black Friday Feature: Top 10 Tips You Need To Know Before Shopping

10. Bring Refreshments

Hey, believe it or not, shopping can be pretty tiring. I suggest you bring a few bottles of water, a few granola bars and some soda to keep from waiting in the long line-ups at snack places.

9. Take it Off

Black Friday is one day you can't afford to miss. In fact, some employers are even deciding to allow workers to have this day off with pay. And even if this isn't the case, the money you will save will still compensate for any lost salary.

8. Find a Shopping Location that Suits Most of Your Needs

You don't want to be wandering from one mall to another, wasting gas, time and energy. Just look for somewhere that has everything on your wishlist, from clothing to electronics to furniture to sports equipment.

7. Try to Purchase Bigger, More Important Items for Greater Savings

Black Friday is not the day to be buying cartons of milk or bags of chips; you should be thinking to make major purchases to really take advantage of the low prices. For instance, that TV you've been wanting might be something you'll want to shop for.

6. Plan a Route of Stores You Want to Visit to Save Time

This is a biggie. It would be dumb and frustrating, and not to mention exhausting to be scurrying in circles through an enormous shopping center, filled with people. Take a bit of time beforehand to go to your Black Friday destination's website and print a map to lay out your trek.

5. Search Through "Official Black Friday" Websites to Find the Best Deals

Although pretty much all stores will have humongous mark-downs, you should see that you get the best prices on the best items. Some websites can be found with a simple search of "black friday" on Google can lead to good pages.

4. Make a Shopping List

This can determine how much you can buy and can be based on priority, considering your budget. As well, a shopping list can help you with your route.

3. Grab a Few Coupons

I think this is pretty self-explanatory; coupons are money in the bank and no experienced shopper can go without them. You might not think these are important on such a day but you might regret not printing a few off.

2. Don't Try To Buy Everything

This is a mistake many shoppers are bound to make and it's quite inevitable that you will spend more than what you planned but keep in mind that even with the incredible sale prices, you don't have all the money in the world. You probably shouldn't purchase the products that are 5-10% off because there are many that are 70-80% off.

1. Don't Waste Your Time

Looking at products that you have no intention of buying is absolutely off limits on such a hunt for things. Black Friday is no time to dawdling, glancing over everything that "interests" you because trust me, there will be a lot of cool stuff. Also, if you want ultimate efficiency, you might want to split up if you are a large group, organizing a meeting place. After this, you can enter stores that cater to what you want.