The Key to Black Friday? A Game Plan

After you and your family have stuffed yourselves with all the deliciousness that Thanksgiving has to offer, you all must get ready for the unofficial after-holiday. That's right, the madness that is Black Friday. It can be described as sort of shopping warfare as through the years many people have gotten hurt or even killed in the mad rush of trying to secure that perfect purchase. It’s a time feared but overall loved by retailers who typically call the day Green Friday.

The best way to tackle Black Friday is to be smart and do your homework beforehand. In this digital age, there are even a few apps to help you do that. Select your pick of some great smart phone apps here courtesy of the Sun Sentinel.

Doing your Black Friday research online ahead of time will also help you fight the crowds and win. Check out some of the best sites:

• Dealnews.com was named the best of the best for Black Friday info last year by PC World and PC Magazine.

• BlackFriday.com prides itself on being a one-stop destinination for anything and everything you need to prep for shopping domination.

• Bfads.net collects information about the best deals from Walmart, Target, Best Buy and more to online stores like Amazon. Its also sorted by store which is really helpful.

• BlackFridayAds.com has the latest sales papers all gathered in one very handy site so that you can find the best deals for the stuff you want.

• Gizmodo.com has your ultimate Black Friday 2010 cheat sheet.

If you don't want to fight the crowds on Black Friday or wake up before 4 AM, don't worry. There's always Cyber Monday for those folks who want to shop from the comfort of their own homes. Its the biggest online shopping day of the year and is chocked full of the best bargains. Although you're not risking life and limb to grab that last iPod in the store, you still need to be safe. Check out this link from The Better Business Bureau for their Top 10 tips for staying safe when shopping on Cyber Monday.

Now if you're starting to think that all this shopping madness isn't worth it. You're wrong...click here for a little inspiration before you decide against shopping for that perfect present for that perfect someone in your life.

Happy Shopping!

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Shoppers image courtesy of Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Cyber Monday image courtesy of Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Nikita Palmer (@CitadelNow) for Citadel Digital © 2010