The Black Friday Survival Kit

Then you're ready to embrace the insanity — or rather, that great American shopping tradition — of Black Friday. The National Retail Federation is projecting that 130 million shoppers will be hitting the stores Friday through Sunday. If you plan to be among them, here are some coping tips:

Read the Fine Print.
Before you hit the stores, take a good look at your local newspaper this week, especially the one that arrives on Thanksgiving Day, advises Anne Fognano, founder of CleverMoms.com, an online coupon web site. Retailers will be spending heavy ad dollars letting consumers know about their best deals. A quick look through the paper could help you decide which stores to visit first, when your energy level is high.

Make Sure the Price is Right.
"Black Friday is the single best bargain day of the year, but that doesn't mean every sale item is a deal," says Edgar Dworsky, founder of Consumer World, a consumer resource web site.

To recognize that great price when you see it, do some homework before you start shopping. You can find out what's a competitive price by visiting online shopping comparison sites such as Shopping.com, Yahoo! Shopping and Price Grabber.

Stick to Your Budget.
The combination of big crowds and big sales can make even the most careful budgeter throw fiscal conservatism to the wind. So do yourself a favor and write down just how much you plan to spend on each person on your gift list — and be sure to bring that list along to the mall. For budgeting advice, see our column "Shoppers, Are You Ready?" And for a handy savable budget that you can use throughout the holiday season, check out our Holiday Spending Worksheet.

Plan Your Attack.
Figure out which stores on your list open earliest, and hit them in that order, recommends Dworsky. If you're trying to get to a so-called doorbuster sale — say, to purchase a particularly hot item or get an extra discount for the first 300 people in the store — get there at least a half hour in advance of the store opening. "You want to be there when the doors open," he says.

If you can't stand the crowds, says Dworsky, you have two options: Beat 'em, or go late: