jf-comikaze: How To Surive Black Friday

Ah yes, tis' the season to be shopping.

And what better way to kick off the holiday shopping season than Black Friday!!! So for those of you wary about camping out at your favorite electronics store or what not, Jeffo is here to provide you with a Black Friday guide.

First, make sure you have knowledge about the lines at the store you want to go to. Some stores don't have lines and some stores don't have much of a sale. Fry's Electronics is known for its mob-like Black Friday lines while Best Buy's lines have order. In addition, if you are not sure that you would be able to stay up for a whole night camping, trust me, you don't know what you are capable of. Your adrenaline will kick in and keep you awake, I promise.
You don't have to necessarily have to start waiting in line at noon on Thanksgiving to guarantee yourself a deal, but if you want the greatest deals, such as those free items, plan on going early (before 5pm Thursday), especially for those stores where there is order to the line, because you won't be able to cut in line easily for those stores. However, for the stores that have lines known to fall apart, like Fry's, you can go as late as 1 am on Friday and still somehow find yourself near the front if you can run fast and cut.
Also, note that just because it is Black Friday, it does not mean that everything in the store is on sale. You never know if the store might be marking up a few items or put out a few more higher end models of a camera or whatever. They might use the sale to lure desperate shoppers into the doors and then use their highly trained salesman to sell you a camera that costs $100 more than the one you wanted to get on sale. I.e. make sure you have an idea of the price range you want to shop in and stick to it; don't get lured by any sales tactics into paying more than what you were planning to pay.

So without further ado, I have a comic to help demonstrate some things you need to bring when you camp out for Black Friday. Each point corresponds to the same number on the comic. So point 1 corresponds to box 1 in the comic and point 2 corresponds to box 2 in the comic. Got it?
1. Bring a list of all of those great deals, sales, and rebates. Bring a cell phone so you can call your friends when you need to find them in the shopping frenzy. The airwaves will get really busy once the store opens--trust me--so you might have to try calling a few times to get the call through. Finally, bring running shoes so you can run quickly to the counter that has the deal you want. Running shoes also helps when a line falls apart and you want to take advantage and cut.
2. Bring warm clothes, because it's going to be cold outside. Though if you're waiting in a mob type line, it will get warm really fast. If you ever want to find out what it feels like when penguins bunch up together to keep warm, just wait in a mob line and you'll find out real fast (you'll also get sweaty real fast). Kristie and her penguins, let's see you in a mob, cough cough......
3. Bring friends. Often they help liven up the night when you're camping out. You have people to talk to and you won't get bored. Bring games if you want. Also, if you want to get multiple great deals, you can send your friends to different locations of the store so you don't have to wait in line for all of them. Besides, there's no way you're getting all of those deals by yourself. The lines at each sales counter are usually long and slow.
4. If you do find yourself in a human mob/moshpit, there are things you need to know. Firstly, be prepared to lose items that are not secured. Be prepared to be lifted off of your feet a few times and be prepared to be crushed a few times. Injury is a possibility and a reality. However to help prevent injury, there are some things you can do. Place your arms in front of your chest like in the picture and protect your neck also. Doing so will help give you breathing room for your chest. Also, make sure your feet are constantly searching to restore balance in case people start pushing or falling.
5. If you manage to remember everything I told you, you might end up like Henry Li, a champion Black Friday shopper.