Black Friday Shopping: A Team Sport

For the last several years, I have braved the crowds (and the cold) to snag some of the best deals of the holiday season. I am such a hardcore Black Friday shopper that I actually got up at 5am in Florida to hit Target & Best Buy before we went to Disney World! That one was a solo trip (clearly, I'm a little crazy), but I usually hit the stores with my mom and sisters.

It's a big part of my overall shopping strategy. We each head out for the morning with a specific list. Typically, we start at Kohl's since they have a 4am opening. My sisters try on clothes, my mom heads to the toy department and I wander the store to pick up the rest of the one-day-only bargains. We meet up at jewelry just to take a peek at the deals.

Our 5am opening is usually Meijer or Best Buy, depending on the deals. Every now and then, we'll be torn on which store to shop. The divide and conquer method works again! We'll split up and meet back at our 3rd stop. This year, Target is opening at 5am too so we're struggling a bit on the day's schedule. We have a few extra members of the Black Friday team, as well.

My brother and his wife shop in another city, my cousin shops across town and my in-laws shop in a couple different areas. Touching base by phone helps everyone find the deals we need, even if a location is sold out. In 10 years of Black Friday shopping, I have never missed a deal! We work together to get the deals we want, then settle up over lunch after our long day.

We have a lot of fun—shouting Marco Polo when it's time to checkout, trying to hide purchases for one another and getting most of our Christmas shopping finished a month in advance. I wouldn't miss it for the world! Anyone else shopping this Friday? Who's on your team?

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This post is part of the Money Saving Monday meme at Inexpensively. Be sure to check out this week's Black Friday theme for even more great ideas on making the most of Friday's deals.