Orange County Register

Here are a few tips to help you enjoy your day-after-Thanksgiving Black Friday shopping experience!

A list goes a long way. It can really help in the confusion and crowds to stay organized and have your list of who you need to buy for and what you’re going to buy. It can also help you avoid the impulse purchases that retailers hope they’ll wring from you.

Get the Thanksgiving day print newspaper. It’s crammed with discounts, deals and coupons. Obviously, this should be the Orange County Register, if you live in our circulation area.

Hit the “early bird” specials. That’s where the biggest deals lie, in the hours around dawn when all the stores try to lure you in to spend your money there first.

Check online stores early. Wal-Mart might not open on the West Coast until 5 a.m. Pacific Time Friday, but when it’s 5 a.m. in New York, it’s only 2 a.m. here. If the store you’re seeking is offering online discounts, they’re almost certainly going on sale at East Coast store opening time.  Last year, I went online at 2 a.m. and found Wal-Mart Black Friday deals were already happening.

Bring nourishment. You will get hungry and thirsty so bring yourself some snacks to enjoy in line or in the car.

Bring a folding chair, if you’re going to be waiting in line.  You can just leave it in your car if you don’t need it.

Bring the newspaper ads. Now, I got this tip from a savvy reader, but I haven’t tried it myself. Still it’s worth a try. If a store is sold out of its sale items, try going to a competitor that matches prices and show them the ad. My reader swears that he never had to get up early on Black Friday because he always does this and it works.  It certainly can’t hurt, right?

Think about charities. I always grab a handful of the popular toys that are heavily discounted, like Barbies and Hot Wheels, to donate to Toys 4 Tots and similar organizations.

Keep your receipt. A lot of retailers are now refusing to accept returns without a receipt. Keep that in mind.

Eat at a restaurant also on sale. A few restaurants have jumped on the Black Friday bandwagon too.

• Denny’s is offering a two-for-one Grand Slam breakfast Friday.
• IKEA customers get a free breakfast and a meatball meal for $1.
• Target customers can get a free soda at the cafe if they use this coupon.

Look at the Black Friday calendar icon to the lower right and click on it to go to our special Black Friday page with all our deals and tips!

>> Visit the OC Deals Black Friday page

Do you have a tip for the Deals Diva? Email me at mfisher@ocregister.com.

And look for me @DealsDiva on Twitter!

More OC Deals here:

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