If you choose to brave the Black Friday maelstrom and emerge with with something to show for your efforts, it will help to have a plan of attack. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could waste a lot of time and end up frustrated. Use the right strategies and you might be able to shop efficiently and score some sweet deals.

Here are recommendations from shopping blogger The Fru-Gal:

* Prioritize and time your targets. Look through the ads and find the place with the most attractive deals and earliest opening times, and schedule your itinerary accordingly.

* Establish a pre-game ritual. If your schedule calls on you to wake up at a ridiculous hour, do yourself a favor Thanksgiving night and go to bed early. If you know you’ll need caffeine the next morning but won’t want to waste your prep time making coffee, make a caffeinated drink the night before to have it ready to go.

* Bring a sidekick. If someone owes you a favor — say, a significant other who watched football all day on Thanksgiving rather than associate with your family — guilt them into coming along with you. A shopping buddy can stand in lines for you while you take care of other business.

The Fru-Gal: Black Friday strategies [The Fru-Gal]

Previously: Busting Black Friday Myths

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