After many years of working in retail, I avoid the stores on black Friday. There are many online deals that are as good or better than what is in the store. Lots of times they offer free or cheap shipping too. The sales usually start a few days before Thanksgiving. I got some of my best deals on electronics stuff the day before and Thanksgiving day. I had an idea of what I was looking for prior to that, so I just watched the ads on the Black Friday Ads website and shopped when the sales came up. I didn't even need to gas up the car!
http://bfads.net/