I have in many years past gone out on black friday's. It is the most fun when you go with a buddy. :D It is like someone said, a mass of people and some of them mean! I once had a woman hit me with a shopping cart and not even say sorry! Ouch!!!
I used to check the sale papers and plan out my shopping route. (The early morning before daybreak hours are cold and it is not fun to experiance.) The best deals was the first stop and so on. But, I have bought some big ticket items for a fraction of the original cost. It is addicting. When you want to stick to your budget, it makes up for the work it takes to get it all finished in one day. Usually by eleven o clock and just in time for a nice lunch and to rest your tired feet. LOL!
Now, All that being said... Guess what.... They have black friday on line too. The major stores like macy's, J.C. Pennys, and Sears all have sales on line on black friday. And most of the time free shipping to sweeten to deal.
I have a friend who buys on sale all during the year. She has a large family and she wraps it and stores it until she puts up her tree. Smarty pants. She really is ahead of the game doing it that way. She just fills in what is missing with the sales. Kind of clever, the frenzy and panic is eliminated.