Tips for Getting Through Black Friday Shopping Without Killing Anybody

Holiday shopping on Black Friday can be painful, but with a few tips you’ll breeze through it in no time . It may seem to some that the Holiday Season and all of the related shopping and agony are still a long way off. Well, News Flash! It really isn’t. Have you looked at your calendar recently and been left wondering where the summer went ? Another couple of months down the line here and before you know it the happy season will be upon us.

In one respect you might be accurate . The needful planning of gift lists, meals to prepare and holiday cookies to eat might not be far off, but the agony can be less stressful if you start coordinating now. Kids change everything, including Holiday plans.

The need to plan early is especially real for Mom’s and Dad’s of new babies and toddlers. You have spent months contemplating about trips to Santa, Christmas morning and sugarplum dreams. These first few Christmases spent with your baby and toddler are about as much fun as it gets. Don’t spoil it by letting the agony get in the way. Purchasing for and sharing the holidays with a child should be a riot ! It can be!

I know from shatteringly bad experiences that lack of coordinating can spoil the season. I remember as a young mother getting geared up to get my Christmas purchasing done. I contemplated each post-Thanksgiving day sale ad methodically . Up to that time I had no children and felt no need to fight the crowds in the post-Thanksgiving chaos .

I had yet to give in to the flashy ads promising untold savings in both dollars and time. What pushed me over the top and eventually kicked off a 5 am shopping spree was the ad featuring the best pedal bike for my son. It was attractive, and a full 25% off the sale price. This put the coveted present in our price range. I knew he would just love it and only one thing stood in my way: the actual purchase of the present.

With purse, cash and advertisement in hand I found myself shuffling out the door at 4:30 am on Black Friday, trying not to observe the heap of thanksgiving dishes still needing my attention. Dishes could wait, today I had a mission : get one of the kids pedal cars for my three-year old. I returned home later that day with the pedal toy and a vow that I’d never, ever go farther than my living room during the day after Thanksgiving purchasingmadness.

In recent years I have reneged on my vow to never step toe out of doors during purchasing hours the weekend following Thanksgiving. Now with a bit of careful planning I look forward to 3 am suicide missions exploring the best tricycles for my twins.

I have established a few ground rules and have a much more rigorous preparation routine than the naive shopper who once spent three hours snarling and snapping over Radio Flyer Wagons. I’ll share my secrets! I am glad to. After all I am reformed and love my yearly purchasing spree. Don’t we all want to share what we love with others? Look for articles to follow that walk you through the organizing and execution of blissful Holiday shopping on Black Friday, no matter how many kids are on your list.

And if you are not wanting to go the crowd route at all, I suggest purchasing online and skipping the crowds altogether!