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Although Christmas is supposed to be a time to be giving and caring,

there is one element about Christmas that seems to throw all of that

out of the window….and that’s Black Friday.

Black Friday, the sale day after Thanksgiving that’s known to have

incredibly low prices on usually high priced items. It’s also the day

that’s known to have lines and lines of people in parking lots around

the corner and up the block, waiting for the magic moment when the

stores open their doors.

More notorious than that, it’s the day that’s known for having mobs

and mobs of anxious people running, jumping, and fighting over this

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merchandise. It’s to the point where nowadays there are people that

die every year from stampedes of crowds running to be first to take

advantage of the hottest deals. Care and concern for human life seems

to be at an all time low during Black Friday, and every year seems to get

worse and worse.

In this guide, we are going to give you 6 practical ways to survive Black

Friday shopping, because believe it or not, you can realistically have an

enjoyable Christmas shopping experience and actually enjoy the

holiday season without a fight.

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1. Wait Until Later On

I know that the stores try to entice you with the 95 inch HDTV for $20

(ok, maybe not that extreme), but I guarantee there will be tons of

deals still left after the lynch mobs are gone. Christmas sales will go on

all through December, remember that.

If you want to take a chance at 2 in the morning with the Black Friday

mobs, take your chance, but just know that people dying on Black

Friday is not a rarity anymore, it’s now common. It’s best to wait until

later on in the day when all the hype has died down, and people have

turned back into people again and not raving maniacs.

Don’t fall for the hype, hype kills these days. Sleep in that morning and

go out later in the day, you might live longer.

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2. Get Your Shopping Done Earlier

Here’s an interesting question for you: Why wait?

Instead of being caught in long lines with frustrated shoppers, and

parking lots filled to capacity, why don’t you get your shopping out of

the way earlier than normal?

Don’t tell me because you’re waiting for Black Friday. The whole point

is to avoid Black Friday crowds altogether. I promise you that you can

find good deals without having to wait for Black Friday. You have

Amazon, eBay, and so many other outlets to find what you want and at

a good price.

Imagine laying in bed the morning of Black Friday watching tv, laughing

at everyone fighting and fussing over all this crap, while you have your

gifts tucked away in a secret spot. Sweet right?

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3. Don’t Fight Over Merchandise, Really.

Unless you have already paid for something...don’t fight anybody over

this stuff, it’s just stuff. Really, don’t fight over any of this crap, it’s just

merchandise, and it’s not worth it.

This is supposed to be the holiday season, a time of good cheer,

remember that? It’s best to avoid the Black Friday crowds altogether,

but if you find yourself in them, don’t get involved in any ridiculous

confrontations, you never know where it could go. If somebody is

acting like a jackass over a tv, laptop, tablet, or whatever, just let them

have it and walk away. Don’t YOU become an idiot too.

I promise you that if you don’t get that tv right at that moment, your

life WILL go on and you WILL be alright. The stress and the risk is just

not worth it.

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4. Leave Your Little Ones At Home

Now, if after reading this far, you are determined to still be a part of

the Black Friday riots, word to the wise, please leave your little ones at

home.

It doesn’t make sense why anyone would want to bring their kids into

this madness, but you still see it every year. The formula is very simple,

if you don’t have someone to watch over your kids while you shop,

don’t go. Black Friday sales are the worst place to bring your little ones.

They could get lost easily among the madness because the crowds are

always astronomical, and I don’t even want to imagine any child being

caught in one of those Black Friday stampedes.

If you can’t find a sitter, you really should consider waiting either until

later on in the day, or another day. You always hear reports of people

being crushed or fighting, why would you risk your kids in that mess?

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5. Do Your Shopping Online

Hey...how about skipping Black Friday crowds altogether?

There’s this wonderful invention called the internet, and maybe you

should take advantage of it. In today’s age, internet shopping has

gotten so much better and continues to improve. The sites that we all

know have really stepped up their game, and online shopping is just as

common as in person shopping.

You can find almost anything online these days at one of possibly

1000’s of sites, in many categories. Instead of fighting for parking

spaces, and waiting in long lines, why not sit in front of your computer

in your pajamas, with your tv on, cup of hot cocoa, and credit

card/debit card ready to go? That sounds so much more peaceful,

which is what the holiday is supposed to be right?

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6. Take As Little As Possible

If you have made plans to go shopping during one of those insane Black

Friday sales, make it as easy on yourself as you possibly can. One thing

you should do is keep the things you take with you to a minimum.

The less you have, the less you have to worry about. Of course, you’re

going to have your car keys, and of course you’re going to have your

cell phone, and of course you are going to have cash, those are the

necessities. Outside of those, you shouldn’t take too much else.

Cash and credit cards you should carry in your front pocket. Wallets

and purses are big targets around the holidays, so lessen your chance of

theft. With crowds that big, there’s a huge chance you could lose

something very important to you. Keep it very basic and then you can

worry more about shopping.

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Holiday shopping shouldn’t have to be stressful. There was a time in

history when it wasn’t. With the way Black Friday sales are run today, it

almost seems sometimes like the department stores are hoping for

chaos. If you plan ahead and plan well, you can not only avoid the

madness from Black Friday crowds, you may actually have an enjoyable

holiday shopping experience, the way it should be.