It’s that time of year again folks! I’m not talking about Thanksgiving. Black Friday is almost here. This is the best night/morning of the year when all people can get up at 2:00 am and shop for merchandise at insanely low prices.This year will be better than ever!

Imagine the excitement: you’re standing in line outside a store, you’ve been there for two hours already, your toes are turning blue and you’re about to get hypothermia. You’re dressed in a hat and scarf while snow flurries all around you. There are hundreds of others waiting as well, stirring with the thrill of shopping for discount prices. As the doors open, everyone rushes in and the games begin. There is shoving and screaming— you begin to wonder if you are at a Nirvana concert. If you survive the mosh pit, you discover that the whole store has been rearranged and all the items you have hidden the day before are no longer in their place. After you find your items, you make your way to the checkout line where your friend has been saving your spot while you shop, but the line is still wrapped all around the store.

Each year, stores move up the time in which they open. It’s becoming a competition anymore between stores to see see who opens the earliest. This year, Walmart and Best Buy will open at 6:00 pm on Thursday. JC Penney will open at 5:00 pm. Most stores in the surrounding areas won’t release the times in which they open until almost a week prior.

Tips for successful Black Friday shopping:

• Have a driver for easy drop off and pick up.
• Have someone go straight to the checkout to wait while you shop to beat the checkout waiting process.
• Do your online research and make a plan for your trip.
• For certain stores, go in days prior to hide your desired items.
• Bring a hat, gloves, coat, and hand warmers to stay warm while you wait.
• Try to be polite to fellow shoppers so they will be polite back. This will greatly decrease your chances of being trampled or pepper sprayed.
• Return to stores later to scavenge for items that may have been left behind.