Top 5 Black Friday 2012 Tips

Black Friday season has officially begun! In addition to Hot Deals, Freebies and Coupons, the Black Friday 2012 deal forum is now available for the latest and most accurate discussions about the biggest shopping day of the year! Discussions about Best Buy’s price match and Sprint’s $50 Galaxy S3 have begun, so make sure to continuously check this forum to plan your Black Friday shopping accordingly.

The way we shop changes every year, so here are our Slickdeals’ Deal Editors-approved Top 5 Black Friday Tips for this upcoming holiday season:

1) Plan ahead: It's easy to get carried away with all the large explosive fonts from Black Friday ads, but just as this [wsj.com] recent article mentions, some Black Friday deals are not deals at all! Retailers don't readily reveal historical pricing, but by visiting Slickdeals regularly and searching for a particular item, you'll find the best historical prices are for all the big ticket items you're looking for. Predictions mention that 42" TV's will be available for $299 this Black Friday, but at Slickdeals, we've already seen a 42"1080p LED TV for $189 earlier this year! Additionally, retailers have been starting their sales earlier and earlier each year. Users can start checking Slickdeals now for early deals and savings.

2) Skip the lines, shop online: More and more online retailers are price matching in-store competitors and offer free shipping. Even traditional brick and mortar stores like Walmart or Best Buy often have the same deals online, so why bother freezing in the cold?

3) Bring your smartphone: If you do like the cold, make sure to bring your smartphone. Best Buy has already announced that they will be price-matching deals for the holidays, so best bring your smartphones to show cashiers how much you're really willing to pay for your new toys! Aside from that, bringing your smartphone will also allow you to check historical prices on the spot helping you decide whether you really are getting a legitimate deal.

4) Don't buy accessories for your big purchase...just yet: A lot of the doorbuster deals are designed to bring customers into a store, whether online or brick and mortar. How do retailers recover on these low margins? By selling accessories! Keep in mind that we've seen FREE iPhone 5 cases in the past as well as HDMI cables for $1.50. Both these items sell for well over $30 during Black Friday.

5) Sign up for credit cards...early: The best credit card deals we've seen in the past year have been during Black Friday season (multiple free flights, $500 in gift cards, etc). Our sources say that these deals will start in early November this year. Users can earn extra points, miles or cash for their holiday spending if they sign up for these credit cards ahead of time.

And if you miss out on your Black Friday deals, remember that Cyber Monday is right around the corner. Deal Editor Brisar has mentioned that a number of door buster deals last year were available online three days later! For the latest definitive Black Friday deals, visit the Black Friday 2012 Forum on Slickdeals!