Save or Splurge: Black Friday

The biggest shopping day of the year is only a few days away. Those early birds who wake up early and wait outside stores in the cold will be getting lots of super sale worms. I've been on both ends of this. I went shopping one year and I worked retail another. Both were busts.

There are some great deals early in the morning, but you have to want the items on sale. When I went years ago, I saw a lot of great things on sale, but none of them were the gifts I wanted to buy for people, and I refuse to buy something just because it's a great deal.

You also have to beat everyone else to the deal and know which stores to hit at which times. When I worked retail that one year, my section of the store was only featuring two deals--pearl necklaces and leather gloves. Most of the shoppers who came through were bummed by the poor selection. Others came looking for the gloves, but too late to get the size and color they wanted.

However, many people just wanted to know what the deals were and seemed to automatically purchase them. One woman said she bought every deal she thought was a good one to use as add-ons to the gifts she'd already purchased. Another woman told me she used Black Friday as a personal shopping spree. I prefer to stay home and eat leftovers.

What is your philosophy for the biggest shopping day of the year? Do you save or splurge on the mega-bargains? Do you get up early for sales? Which ones will you be heading to this year?