Black Friday shopping strategy

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Shoppers ...on your mark. Black Friday is almost here and, this weekend alone, 137 million bargain-hunters are going to be hitting the stores.

If the thought of fighting the mobs of bargain-hunters is already giving you the willies, relax. We're going to tell you the best strategy to shop through the madness.

CNN's Gerri Willis has tips to help you find the best deals during the holiday shopping season (November 22) Play video

Your first move is to troll the Internet to find the best deals. Some stores are even posting pre-black Friday sales on Thursday. Circuit City (Charts), for example, is putting some specials up on its Web site on Thanksgiving Day.

Check the rumor-mill too. Web sites like blackfriday.gottadeal.com and bfads.net generally preview what retailers are offering. Some Black Friday deals may also be orderable online for pick-up at the store, or for home delivery.

And here are some Web sites to track this year's hottest toys. For the new Playstation 3, check out ps3preorders.com and to track prices for the TMX Elmo toy, check out tmxtracker.com.

If you're paying for shipping, you're missing the boat. 83 percent of retailers are sweetening the pot by offering free shipping. So, take advantage of the goodies.

You can find a list of what shipping deals are out there at cybermonday.com.

Sometimes Black Friday deals aren't all they're cracked up to be. For example, make sure the rebate date is valid for the day you bought it. You should also find out if there is enough product in stock.

Last year, if you remember, Wal-Mart (Charts) advertised a laptop for $378, but there weren't enough to go around. The result? Shoppers literally fighting each other in the stores.

You'll also want to figure out your shopping strategy. It's just impossible to get the absolute best price on everything. Target your money-saving efforts on the most expensive purchases and work your way down to smaller-ticket fare.

Of course, there's power in numbers so team up with some friends so you can tag team for the best deals at the stores. You'll save time AND money.

You will want to leave the kids at home though. Maneuvering a stroller around a bargain-hunting mob is a recipe for disaster.

And finally - just because you've survived Black Friday, for yet another year, the bargain shopping doesn't end. Keep checking the prices of whatever you've bought.

A lot of stores offer price protection guarantee, so you may be entitled to get back some additional money if the seller or a competitor offers a lower price before Christmas.

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