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In the United States, the Friday following Thanksgiving Day is known as "Black Friday." On Black Friday, many retailers offer heavily advertised bargains and open early (often as early as midnight) or on Thanksgiving Day. The length of the shopping season is not the same across all years; the date for Black Friday varies between November 23 and 29. Since at least 2005, Black Friday has been the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States. For millennia, the term "black" has been used to describe days when disaster struck.

The term "Black Friday" was first used to refer to the day after Thanksgiving. It was used to describe the practice of employees calling in sick the day following Thanksgiving to get a four-day weekend. In more recent decades, global retailers have adopted the term and date to market their own holiday sales.

Although the day after thanksgiving is not an official holiday in the United States, it is observed by state government employees in California and a few other states. Thanksgiving Day and the following Friday are both off for many non-retail jobs and schools. This makes Black Friday weekend a four-day weekend when combined with the next regular weekend, which is thought to boost the number of prospective shoppers. It's crowded, it's crazy, and it's stressful—welcome to Black Friday. You've entered a world where malls have become battlegrounds, people have become conquerors and the deals become the hunted. Let's get serious about it; if you're in a mall on Black Friday, you're in for a struggle. That is, of course, unless you have a plan for your shopping experience.

Let's look at some Black Friday shopping tips that will help you maximize your shopping experience with regards to increasing the efficiency with which you shop on this special shopping day. A basic, but pivotal rule of thumb is to always know what Black Friday deals you are going to try and buy before you get to the store. Black Friday is a terrible day for browsing or casual shopping, you need to have items targeted and move quickly from one purchase to the next. The best way to decide which Black Friday sales you are going to pursue is to make a detailed shopping list. This list would include the items that you are after, their prices, and the stores that carry them.

While you are making this list, keep in mind that often the best Black Friday deals are on consumer electronics and computers, so if you are interested in these items then you need to prioritize them in your shopping. Your shopping list should consist of the following headings: the type of products you are looking for, the regular price of these products, the associated sales for each product along with the stores carrying the product, the preferred deal, and the preferred store. If applicable, it would also be wise to include discount codes on your shopping list to not only save paper but to keep them at hand if they are needed. Now that you have your shopping list ready, be sure that if you are going to take the risk of buying something in a store, you arrive at that store very early.

It is not unusual for stores to open early on Black Friday, so make sure you are one of the first in line so that you can take a direct path to your desired purchase.

Also, you would be wise to consider buying your selected products online, as often the in-store promotions are extended to online stores. In some cases, you may even find that there are special, web-only deals that you will want to take advantage of. One word of warning when it comes to buying online, be sure to act quickly, as stock-outs are common, especially on a special shopping day.