Is Black Friday Really Worth It?

I can't wait to get home and tell my wife this, Black Friday is a waste of time!

My wife and my mother-in-law fashion themselves as being professional shoppers or at least they think they are. Every Black Friday they hit the mall at 12:01am, ready for battle. They dress up in full body armor, with their walkie-talkies, yes, they bring along two-way radios to communicate back and forth with each other. It helps in locating all the hot deals from store to store, or so I'm told. (Can you say Koo Koo!)

But as my wife always reminds me, the real reason they stay up all night, standing in long lines, fighting crowds, the traffic and dealing with less than pleasant humanoids trying to rip the last remaining 46-inch LCD TV out of your hands is the free gift bags you get from select stores. Huh? A bag of crap is worth all those bruises and your blood pressure going off the Richter scale? Ok, if you say so.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying don't go shopping. What I do recommend is being smart about when and where you shop. According to a new study regarding holiday shopping, the best time to deal hunt almost never involves standing in the November cold all night. It really comes down to what you're looking for.  Some gifts are lowest early in the holiday season, like right now.

This year you might consider getting a few extra hours of sleep on the morning of Black Friday, by keeping a close eye on the sales right now. Remember to shop local, it helps keep our local economy strong. And gals, no matter when you decide to go shopping, please try not to get into a pushing and shoving match with the lady that wants the same pair of Ugg Boots you do. Generally, that never seems to have a happy ending!

Good luck! Happy holiday shopping!