How Not to Shop For the Holidays

There are many people who rush out on the day after Thanksgiving to begin their Christmas Shopping.

This is a rite of passage for many as this day declares that the Holiday Season is upon us. However, though there are many items on sale, this day proves nothing beyond misery. When you go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving, you will fight the longest lines of the Christmas Season.

We need to review this "rite of passage" and ask ourselves: Is it worth it?

I know that many of us are inspired by looking at the bargains in the newspaper that will only be available on this day. We all know someone who has woken up at 5am just to be the first person there for a big sale. We know many other people who arrive at the store only to be told: "I am sorry...we are sold out of that item."

This leads to a miserable day after Thanksgiving.

There are many alternatives to shopping at the mall on the day after Thanksgiving that will allow you to avoid this misery.

We live in a time now in which we can buy Christmas Gifts Online. Brick and mortar stores will often, not always, provide the exact same sale at their online store that they are giving you at the mall. This will allow you to avoid the long lines and still get great discounts.

Often times, the advertised sales can be beaten by online retailers such as Amazon.com. We often think that if we see a deal advertised in the paper that it will be the best deal that we can get. However, we need to remember that online retailers don't often advertise in the newspaper. This allows them to pass the cost-savings on to you the consumer.

We can find the Best Christmas Gifts for 2008 in our living room while we sip coffee with our family members.

If you want to get out on the day after Thanksgiving just to experience that "rush", that option is certainly available to you. But, for most of it, we don't get great deals, we get a headache.

So, this year, on the day after Thanksgiving, enjoy breakfast with your family and then huddle around the computer where you will probably find better deals than are offered at the mall.

Richard Mas is a toy retailer and contributing editor to the Bestselling Christmas Toys list at the The Christmas Store Online. He also makes recommendations to their homepage, where you can find the Best Christmas Gifts each year.

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