Black Friday: Is It Really All It's Hyped Up To Be?

Stores opening at 3am and 4am; People camped outside their favorite electronic's stores, all in the hopes of getting that ONE super deal that makes it all worth it. But is it really worth it?

The best deals to be had overall were the large ticket items like Plasma TV's, Computers and Entertainment Systems. Large hain stores like Best Buy, Walmart and Target were able to stock tons of these larger ticket items and add major discounts as incentives to have buyers lined up ready to purchase just as the sales began.

We took a quick look at several major stores and talked to a few people that felt they got a good deal on Black Friday. While there were a few stores with extreme markdowns on several items overall many prices were still just barely below their normal average. And the places where the prices were extremely low had major crowds that were on occasion hard to control.

In 2008 Walmart had a fiasco on Black Friday at One of their stores in New York when One of their temporary employees was trampled to death by a persistent mob of shoppers that insisted on getting into the store. This event turned the Friday after Thanksgiving into a possible Life & Death strugle rather than just a shopping holiday. While we did find a few people that did find deals like 50" Plasma TVs for just a little over $480 US the question remains is that price worth risking your life for?

Our tips:

1. If you think the crowd is getting a little unrully maybe it's better to just go back home and wait for the next day when it will calm down a little. Marketers make it a habit of creating the illusion of scarcity in a landscape that has plenty of everything. They play on our fear of loss to make us feel like we have to be there on Black Friday or MISS OUT. Don't fall for it, Take your time deciding what you want to buy in the store and avoid any unrully crowds.
2. Can it be bought Online? Many stores have Black Friday Deals That are also available online with FREE Shipping. They sometimes even have those sales up on Thangsgiving Thursday so you can do some of your shopping safely and convenienty from home. visit http://www.black-friday.net/ for a list of stores that have Black Friday Deals.
3. There will be a few more super sales as it gets closer to Christmas Time. If you can get it all taken care of during Black Friday Great, but if not don;t sweat it too much, you'll often get a second chance.
4. If you are buying electronics they now have extended deals all the way through what people now reffer to as Cyber Monday.