Outflank the masses with these 10 Black Friday apps

If you're about to brave the Black Friday crowds early tomorrow morning (or late tonight, to each their own!), you best be prepared. These 10 apps will help you streamline and save during your Black Friday deals hunt.

Now that Thanksgiving Day is officially here, it’s time to turn your attention to tomorrow: Black Friday. Ready or not, the holiday shopping season is officially upon us and if you’re ready to brave the crowds and the chaos, some incredible deals can be yours. Those willing to hit the stores and their ensuing madness should best be prepared though, and what better way than keeping everything you need stored in your pocket?

These apps will help you scout deals, check for better prices, and even keep track of the important things you may overlook – like where you parked your car. While you enjoy this day of relaxation and mentally prep for the insanity of tomorrow, check out this guide and app your way to a smarter, savings-friendly Black Friday. 

From the discount aggregator website Fat Wallet, the Black Friday app helps you locate all the deals available this year sorted by categories or retailers. Since the deal information comes straight from the website, there are also hearts to rank the quality of each deal. Obviously, more hearts means this is a deal you don’t wanna miss, while smaller hearts might be skippable items you can find other times of the year.

Deals seem to good to be true? How about an app with PDF scans of the ads to prove it? You can view all the sales with the paper ads right on the app as well as create a shopping list so you can hit the storms armed with everything you plan to get from the crazed rush. You can also use the app to compare prices to other retailers to see if you’re getting the best deal.

For those who decide to hit up Black Friday on a whim, check out Zoomingo to find deals nearest you. The app lets your thumbs up or down various deals so you can sort for items that are more tailored to your style. Each time you vote, you’ll also earn points that go toward winning weekly prizes.

Retail stores have become a showroom of some sort, letting consumers touch and feel products in real time before finding a better deal online. Use SnapTell when you leave for Black Friday so you can check whether the sale items are worth the on-site purchase or better bought online. The app is powered by Amazon and can scan for price comparisons by simply taking a picture of the product, or scanning the barcode.

Even if you’re not planning to buy anything, you can use Shopkick to earn rewards just for walking into stores. It’s like Foursquare but with shopping rewards at every turn, like gift cards to CVS or a latte at Starbucks. If you’re assigned the dreaded task of driving shoppers to stores, might as well use the app to rack up some points for future perks.

Extreme Couponers, rejoice. With SnipSnap, no longer will you have to walk around with a ziplock bag full of cut-outs. The app lets you scan retailer coupons and save them onto your phone to redeem without all the extra bulk. SnipSnap will also notify you if coupons are expiring, in case you run into those special deals that last up until 1 p.m. on Black Friday. Just remember to privatize any coupons that have personalized codes so you don’t inadvertently share the goods and have it redeemed by someone else.

The discount calculator is a must have for stores that offer percentages off random inventory instead of marking the exact final price on each item. You can also add tax percentages to see how much you’re looking to spend for those who live in states where sales tax applies. Different developers are behind the iOS and Android version, but each get the job done. 

Congratulations! You’ve braved the masses at Black Friday, and now it’s time to head back for the stuffed car ride home. Since you probably shopped til you dropped – or are about to – it’s quite possible you could totally forget where you parked your car. Both the iOS and Android version of the Find My Car app help get the job done when you input the initial location of your car. After your trip, just hit find to get a directional map of where you’ve parked.

If you’re looking for deals outside the big box stores, Fastmall will help you navigate the labyrinth that is your local shopping center. The app includes options for saving your car’s location, finding elevators (anyone with a stroller will be thankful for that feature), the coffee shop, and with a simple shake will direct you to the closest bathroom. The app also doesn’t rely on GPS or Wi-Fi, so once you’ve downloaded the map, you can use any of the features even if your connection is unstable or you’re trying to save battery. You can check here to see if your local mall is included in the app’s growing database. 

Most everyone hitting Black Friday sales is looking for holiday gifts. A lot of thought and heart — and budgeting — goes into this search, and the organized among us will want to try out Santa’s Bag software to aid the process. The app helps you store ideas for everyone on your list as well as set price limits and monitor your spending. Santa’s Bag also has an option where you can split a gift among friends, and has Dropbox backup and storage so you can keep tabs on all this from your desktop as well. 

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So you saved a ton of Black Friday money on that TV, but was it worth it?

If you're going to be a Black Friday gambler, you gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.

Black Friday – the infamous, perennial dealfest – sounds intimidating. Menacing, even. In truth, its appellation is a bit ironic, and refers to the amount of cash retailers tend to take in on the year’s biggest shopping day – so much that it secures a profitable year and puts them effectively “in the black.” That’s all well and good for retailers, but the deals they throw out there in an effort to get you in the stores can be so enticing that they make your critical value-assessment systems malfunction. Before you pull the trigger on any Black Friday deals, we urge you to consider the following. 

Some products, no matter how low they go in the game of limbo that is Black Friday, just don’t provide real value. The quick fix is almost always tempting, but if the purchase you waited in line for five hours to secure is destined for the scrap heap by Black Friday 2013, then it wasn’t worth it.

Remember, time is money. Think of it like this: If you had no intention to jump in the fray, how much would someone have to pay you to run the Black Friday gauntlet? You know: cold weather, lines, sleep deprivation, etc. Figure out what that work is worth to you and, whatever that number is, tack it on top of any purchase(s) you’re considering. Then, ask yourself, “is it still worth it?”

Take the 32-inch Apex SM3288M LCD TV that Target will offer for $147. No offense to Apex, but the idea of basically camping out to secure one of their TVs is distasteful to say the least. Here’s another one: A 24-inch Seiki 1080p HDTV for $88 at K-Mart. Braving the madness that is Black Friday for a 24-inch budget-brand television just seems a little nuts to us. It would be different if it were a product like the Furbys or Tickle me Elmos of years past, and you were freezing your butt off because you didn’t want to disappoint your son or daughter.  But who has a 24-inch Seiki on their holiday shopping list?

Also, bear in mind that the failure rate of these off-brand TVs is significantly higher than that of big-name brands and the warranties are often terrible – like 90 days labor and 1-year parts. When these TVs take a dive outside of the 90-day warranty, it’s game over. The repair costs will far exceed the price you paid on the TV in the first place. 

As another caveat, many of this year’s doorbuster deals will require you to venture out on Thanksgiving evening, as Black Friday is rapidly becoming black Thursday and encroaching on pumpkin pie time. We’re not commenting on the wisdom of leaving Turkey Day festivities prematurely, but the bargains that require you to do so should be even better, shouldn’t they?

Before we get too carried away with the buyer-beware stuff though, we should note that there are plenty of great Black Friday deals this year. For instance, the 40-inch Toshiba 40E220U TV that Sears and Best Buy are hawking for $180 is silly cheap, but most importantly, it’s actually a quality product. Walmart’s Samsung HW-E350 sound bar, down to $98 from $150, is a great buy as well. There are plenty of deals like that to balance out the shakier propositions. The key is to go through the offers with a fine-toothed comb and pick out a couple that are truly attractive. Don’t gorge yourself on pseudo-bargains after you’ve already gorged yourself on turkey. And keep in mind that, historically, we’ve seen that highly desirable items actually get cheaper the closer we get to the end-of-year holidays. 

Now that Black Friday has truly become a national holiday, retailers are conceiving of clever ways to capitalize on it- many of which are detrimental to the deal enthusiasts out there. One strategy we’re seeing used is to create one-off models, specifically for Black Friday, designed to be devoid of some of the more expensive frills that drive up the price of similar products. This often involves a rather surreptitious process of stripping down a well-known model, then selling the partially gutted product for far less than the fully equipped model would fetch, but with its own special model number.

Take the Orion 24-inch 720p LCD TV (SLED2478w) Walmart is practically giving away on Black Friday at $78. The set is actually made by a once-reputable brand (eons ago) named Sansui. But you’ve never heard of this TV, have you? That’s because the model doesn’t exist outside of the sucking void that is the Black Friday vacuum.  Sometimes one-offs can represent a bargain, but more often than not, if a product isn’t good enough for a retailer to sell year round – no matter how cheaply you can buy it – you’re probably getting ripped off.

Look, we’re not trying to belittle Black Friday devotees, or accuse retailers and manufacturers of swindling their customers. Our purpose is merely to offer advice. Nowadays, A/V devices are centerpieces in our homes, major purchases that we’ll likely use almost every day. Research, patience, and prudence should be applied when buying a speaker system, or an HDTV. Low prices are enticing, but you’re only really getting a bargain if you’re getting more than you paid for. Often, that’s not the case. Come Black Friday, don’t allow yourself to be seduced by bottom-dwelling price points. Instead, seek out real deals.

For further help sorting through Black Friday propositions, check out our list of this year’s best Black Friday deals. Happy hunting.

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How to win Black Friday

Skipping the craziest shopping day of the year is for cowards. With our handy survivalist guide, you can reap the best deals of the season for everyone on your list while vanquishing your foes (which, in this case, means everyone else).

You know the real reason Black Friday is so beloved by Americans? The violence. It gives the average Joe a chance behave like an NFL linebacker in a fumble scrum, while simultaneously taking care of holiday shopping and feeding our jones for a bargain. Don’t avoid it; prepare for it. Head to your favorite retailer geared up with the following weapons … er … protections, and you won’t just survive Black Friday: You will win Black Friday.

Black Friday is bad, but it’s not like you need a bullet-proof vest – that would be ridiculous! No, what you need is body armor designed for the close-quarters chaos of a prison riot, which is why we recommend Point Blank’s body armor designed for corrections officers. No one would be dumb enough to brandish a gun at Best Buy, but a shiv to the back? Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst …

Few things match the anxious frustration of seeing the perfect Black Friday deal fly off the shelf before you can navigate the torrent of humanity between you and it. Don’t let that mom walk off with the last Wii U while you’re still 30 yards out; with this blow gun from Cabela’s, you can drop her in her tracks and buy just enough time close the gap. Once you’re face to face, it’s a fair fight — unless you’ve poisoned your darts with something, which we would never recommend.

If your Black Friday plans include warehouse stores like Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s, you’re going to need one thing you can’t buy: height. Because, while your rivals are duking it out for flatscreen TVs that they can reach, untold riches await far above the fray, at the top of the two-story racks usually only accessible by forklift. This hook includes 33 feet of nylon rope weight rated to 800 pounds and folds for easy concealment. Just remember to bring a Ninja buddy, because once you scale that rack, you’re going to have to toss the TV to someone …

Simple. Direct. Effective. When you need to get someone’s attention amidst a manic throng, the marine air horn is a tried-and-true tool. Whether you’re signaling to your family that you need reinforcements in the camera section, or trying to get the attention of a douchey Apple Store employee who’s been “helping” the same hipster-hot girl in the macramé skirt for the past 30 minutes, nothing says “Hey! Over here!” like a handful of compressed air loud enough to get the attention of a boat one mile away.

Joining the hardest of hardcore Black Friday shoppers by camping out in front of your favorite retailer Thursday night doesn’t mean squat if you’re not prepared for what happens when those doors open Friday morning. All your new friends who toasted your dedication the night before are going to be prowling the starting line before the sun comes up like a bunch of lions playing musical chairs. Lucky for you, there are no rules against performance enhancers in this game, so bring an EpiPen. While they’re jacking up on coffee, you’ll be running through brick walls.

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Best Black Friday deals guide 2012

The craziest holiday saving season is upon us, and here's a look at upcoming Black Friday deals on gadgets and accessories - if you dare brave the lines.

Get your fill of turkey and gravy in early, Black Friday sales are coming sooner than ever this year so you better be prepared. With major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Sears opening as early as Thanksgiving night, you’ll wanna have a look at our top picks for the best tech deals this season. From what we’ve seen so far, it’s naturally a good time to score savings on television, monitors, smartphones, and video games. We’ve arranged the best Black Friday deals by retailers because we know you’d rather just pick one line and get all your deals in one place, but if you have an army of shoppers to send across the mall, have at it.

Editor’s Pick: Samsung Galaxy S3 16GB: $48 from $200 (new two-year new activation, $100 for two-year contract upgrade)

Asus 10.1 Transformer Pad 16GB: $280 from 38040? Toshiba 40E220U LCD HDTV: $180 from $420Klipsch Icon 6.5? Floor Speaker: $175 from $350Cisco Linkyss Dual-Band Wireless-N Gigabit Router: $90 from $150Lenovo 15.6? Laptop with 2GB RAM, 320GB HDD: $188 from $400

Editor’s Pick: Samsung HW-E350 Sound Bar: $98 from $150

60? Vizio E601i-A3 1080p LED HDTV with WiFi: $688 from $100045'” Samsung UN46EH5300 Smart LED HDTV with WiFi: $598 from $800Apple iPad (second-generation) 16GB with WiFi: $400 with free $75 gift card

Note: Walmart will honor its price match guarantee on Black Friday depending on product availability so make sure to bring paper ads if you want to score extra savings in one location.

Editor’s Pick: Halo 4 for Xbox 360: $60 with free $20 Target gift card

Xbox Live 1600 points: $10 from $20Nintendo 3DS Super Mario 3D Land bundle: $150 from $210PlayStation 3 250GB with Uncharted/inFamous bundle: $200 from $300Nikon Coolpix L310 14.1MP Digital Camera with 21x Optical Zoom: $100 from $200Sonos Play:5 & Bridge: $400 with free $100 Target gift card from $450

Editor’s Pick: Google Nexus 7 32GB: $200 from $250

24? LG E2442TC LED Monitor: $120 from $200Canon PowerShot ELPH 110 HS Digital Camera with 8GB SDHC card: $130 from $18017.3? HP Pavilion with Next Gen AMD A6 Processor: $380 from $700

Editor’s Pick: 50? Toshiba 50L2200U LED HDTV: $300 from $800

Nook Simple Touch e-reader: $40 from $100

Editor’s Pick: Lenovo ThinkPad Twist with Intel Core i5, 4GB RAM, 500GB hard drive, and Windows 8: $700 from $900

14? HP Intel Pentium B987 Processor Laptop: $300 from $530

Editor’s Pick: HTC One X on AT&T: Free with two-year contract upgrade from $100

Auvio Portable Bluetooth Speaker: $40 from $80Samsung Galaxy S3 16GB: $50 with new activation from $200 ($100 for two-year contract upgrade)

Canon EOS Rebel T3i 18MP DSLR Camera with telephoto zoom lens: $750 from $100055?Samsung Series 6 UN55EH6000 LED HDTV: $880 from $1400Dell Inspiron 14z 14.1? Laptop with Intel Core i3, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD: $300 from $600

Xbox 360 4GB Dance bundle with Kinect and two controllers: $230 from 275

Deals are ongoing in forms of temporary “Lightning Deals,” and changes every few hours.

Top image courtesy of Gemenacom/Shutterstock

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Black Friday Store Hours

Curious about when stores will open their doors on Black Friday? Don't worry, we've got you covered.

So it’s a few hours after Thanksgiving dinner and you’re fighting off the oncoming tryptophan coma with your feverish excitement for Black Friday. You’ve got your camp chairs packed in the trunk, a thermos full of hot chocolate, and all the layers you can possibly wear – but where to go? We’ve put together this list of the opening hours for major retailers such as Sears, Best Buy, Target, and more, to help you prepare for the crazy holiday shopping extravaganza. For more Black Friday news, check out our our rundown of the best Black Friday deals of 2012.

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