Black Friday

I have been shopping Black Friday long before it was even called Black Friday; first with my mom and now with my daughters and their friends.  Times and techniques have changed as well.  It used to involve checking out the store the day before to locate all the merchandise that you hoped would be on sale, then getting up early on Thanksgiving to get the local paper to check out the ads to see if what you wanted to buy was on sale, waiting in line in the cold, pre-dawn hours until the store opened, usually at its regular time, and then blocking and running to snag your items.
Now, we can register for email updates with a number of Black Friday sites, check all the ads well in advance of the big day, find your best deals, and download store maps to locate your items.  You will still have to stand in line, and race to get your items.
Fully embrace the changes!  Don't hesitate to take advantage of the online sales and save yourself some frustration, if you can.  For example, this year, my twin nephews wanted Madden NFL 2013 for Xbox 360 and NBA Y2K13 for Xbox 360.  Walmart had the best advertised price at $25.00 each title.  A quick check of Amazon.com established that both titles would be featured in Amazon's lightning deals on Thanksgiving.  I signed in a few minutes before the time the sale started and waited for the countdown.  I was able to get both titles in my cart and checked out within three minutes.  I got the games for the same price as Walmart, but I did not have to pay sales tax, a savings of approximately $5.00, I didn't have to wait in line or fight the crowds for the games, and best of all, they will be delivered right to my front door.  By agreeing to waive the two-day shipping at Amazon, I received a $1.00 credit per item purchased to use for future rentals or purchases.
So, do your homework, and don't be afraid to shop online.