Top 10 Black Friday shopping tips

1. Know your measurements

Bypass the fitting rooms and head straight from the shopping rack to the checkout counter by knowing your exact sizes. If you’re shopping for someone else, have an idea of what sizes to look for before you get to the store. There’s nothing like a mile-long line for the dressing room to kill your holiday spirit.

If you’re shopping online, it’s even more important to have a handle on your sizes in your favorite brands so you can be spared a delivery day heartache.

2. Bring snacks and water

Headed out into the Black Friday shopping abyss to camp out for doorbuster sales? Pack plenty of snacks, water and entertainment, because you could be waiting a while to get inside. Plus, you don’t want to waste time navigating the crowd in the food court when you should be lining up for a killer deal inside a store.

3. Shop online

Don’t forget that online sales can be just as good — if not better — than in-store deals. Ditch the crowds and crazy lines and shop from the comfort of your living room instead.

Keep your eyes peeled for bonus online sales that often start well before Black Friday officially kicks off and extend past some in-store offers.

4. Make a list and check it twice

Black Friday isn’t necessarily the best time to mosey through the store and browse for any old item that catches your eye. This is the best time of year to buy lots of big-ticket items like TVs, computers, mattresses and so much more. Come prepared with a list of your must-haves and check those off before browsing for hidden gems

5. Know where to find the best Black Friday deals

Do your homework before surfing the web or leaving home on Black Friday. Check out the latest Black Friday ads and compare deals and prices from different stores so you know you’re getting the absolute best offers around.

And if you see a better price advertised by a competitor, see if the retailer will price match on Black Friday.

6. Check for early sales

Last year, hoards of stores launched early Black Friday sales to entice customers to shop their deals instead of the wide range of competitors that pop up the day after Thanksgiving.

Be on the lookout for early deals from retailers like:

7. Team up with friends

Not only is shopping with friends more fun than going it alone, but you could score some extra perks by including a pal or two — particularly online. While several online shops offer free shipping during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, some still have a minimum purchase amount that you’ll have to reach before your items will ship for free.

If you’re not quite there yet, see if a friend or family member wants in on the order so you can both get free shipping without spending any more than you’d planned.

8. Check your connection

If you’re shopping online, make sure all’s well with your Internet connection or data on your smartphone before the big day. You don’t want to miss out on the deal of the year because of a shoddy Wi-Fi signal.

9. Shop early in the morning

There’s no shortage of Black Friday deals, but there are usually a limited number of items available before the deal runs dry. So if you have your eye on a stellar deal, don’t wait until the last minute to scoop it up — that goes for both online and in-store shopping.

10. Set a budget and stick to it

Your budget doesn’t have to go out the window just because there are Black Friday deals left and right this time of year. Pick and choose which items really are being offered at unbeatable prices and which ones you could do without — or catch for less another time of year.