The Blackest of Fridays

To say that Black Friday ain't what it used to be is an understatement (SmartMoney outlines 10 Things Stores Won't Say About Black Friday).  BF used to be for an intrepid few willing to get up in the wee hours of the morning to go shopping, like 7 a.m.  BF now has extended to (grey) Thursday - and that's not even the main problem.  Way too crowded, if you want to get that specific item, you have to get in line hours before the store opens, and at by the time it's all over, it's just not worth it.  Remember that your time has value, and if you're spending five hours to save 20 bucks, it may not be worth it.  Plus, many stores have the same items online as they do in the store (Best Buy has free shipping on all their items).

Keep this in mind - it's more fun to stay up late until midnight, buy the stuff you can find online, and then sleep late on BF.