Is Black Friday Shopping For You?

Love it or hate it, Black Friday is the super bowl of shopping.

And now that the we are hour away, Mendham and Chester is abuzz with people talking about the potential savings stores big and small have to offer.

Some people create their own Black Friday “game plans” on what stores to hit and when after they've poured over the announced bargains various retailers have to offer.

The Ace Plow and Hearth located on the Streets of Chester will be open on Black Friday with sales. The Shoe and Sneaker Barn also has a 20 percent off sale running from Friday through Sunday. Also opening with a 20 percent off sale is Wickit Good Candles.

Over in Mendham, Robinson Drug Store has promotions starting the minute they open. 50 percent off all Thanksgiving Merchandise, 50 percent off selected Bean Pod Candles, 30 percent off all boxed Christmas Cards and 10 percent off Mendham Ornaments.

But perhaps the best deal might be from the Mendham Borough DPW, where superintendent Ken O'Brien is offering free wood chips from brush left over from Hurricane Sandy.

There are those so keen on saving they set alarms to wake them up in the wee hours of the night. These folks line up early and some even camp out all night to be able to scoop up the deals they’re after.

If you have a black belt in Black Friday shopping, listen up: area big-box retailers are gearing up to dazzle bargain hunters even earlier this year—starting on Thanksgiving Day!

Last week, Walmart announced that it would open its doors at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 22 and offer holiday doorbusters while supplies last. These include deals on TVs, iPads, an electric scooter for $79 and a steam mop for $39.

Not to be outdone, Target and Best Buy are also planning all-out holiday shopping assaults.

Target's deals begin at 9 p.m. According to an ad leaked online, the best deals will be for TVs, a Nook, a Nikon camera and an XBOX 360 Kinect bundle.

At Best Buy, doors open at midnight. Doorbusters include deals on TVs, phones and Samsung laptop bundles.

Walmart will offer its biggest deals from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving night. The store will offer three items at low prices—an iPad, a TV and a Blu-ray player. If the store runs out, you can still buy them at discounted prices but you must register for them online by midnight and have them delivered to your local store.

According to TheBlackFriday.com, several other stores will also have doorbuster sales on Thursday night or at midnight on Friday, including Kohl's. 

For the early morning traditionalists, some stores will open at 4 a.m. with special sales. If you want to keep up with all of the Black Friday deals, you can check your favorite retailers' Facebook pages. 

Want to avoid the holiday shopping mega-crowds altogether? Look for Cyber Monday deals on Nov. 26 or visit your local mom-and-pop retailers on Small Business Saturday on Nov. 24.

• Target ad

• Best Buy ad

• Walmart ad

Are you one of those shoppers? Do you do Black Friday or do you prefer to stay as far away from stores on the day after Thanksgiving as possible?