The Black Friday Ninja’s Guide to Winning the Day

You don’t want to be the person whipping out one of those puny smart phones with a 4-inch screen during New Year’s celebrations, right?

Or one of those poor souls stuck still with Windows XP? 

Please.

Black Friday is around the corner, which means it’s time to grab the phablet, DSLR, laptop or Bluetooth headphones you’ve had your eyes on for months.

There will be plenty of time to shop local and visit the boutique crafts shops and all that. Black Friday is the day we get the stuff people actually want.

So let’s lower our shoulders and get ready to stampede our way into the big box stores as we celebrate consumerism in all its glory with that whatever-it-takes spirit to get more for less.

Here are a few tips to help you win Black Friday:

Don't wait until Thanksgiving:

Good sales are out there now — in stores and online. To find them, check out retail websites, newspapers and coupon sites such as Slickdeals and FatWallet. Also check out

TheBlackFriday, BlackFriday2013 and BlackFridayAds, which link to deals posted by online merchants and the brick and mortars shops that North Bay residents are likely to hit such as BestBuy and Target.

Amazon has already started posting Black Friday deals too.

Do your homework:

Before you make your purchases, it’s a good idea to check reviews on items offered at prices that look too good to be true.

Consumer Reports is considered the most reputable source but requires a subscription.

Many other websites offer free expert reviews. CNET is among the most popular review sites and offers some decent reviews if you’re willing to overlook its iffy ethics.

PCMag, Trusted Reviews, Engadget, and TopTenReviews offer professional reviews too. (Full disclosure: Engadget is owned by Aol, Patch’s parent company). User reviews on Amazon can be useful too.

Go with a buddy: It's easier to fan out in a store and strategically hunt the items you want than going it alone.

Don't drink too much water: Finding a bathroom may be challenging when you're running from store to store.

What are some of the best Black Friday Deals you’ve snagged? Tell us about it in our comments section.