Don't Get Taken on Black Friday: How to Avoid Common Shopping Pitfalls

Anyone preparing to shop on Black Friday is likely drowning in ads by now. Trying to figure out which stores open earliest, which offers the best doorbuster deals and just how to score them can drive a person to drink. But take some advice from the pros and you might find your stress level greatly reduced.

"The whole point of these Black Friday flyers is to get you in the door, and it's impossible to get to more than one store at once," says Christine Frietchen, editor-in-chief of ConsumerSearch.com, a site that collects and analyzes consumer product reviews. "Once you're in the store, the idea is to sell you more stuff that you may not really need."

Here are a few tips to avoid common Black Friday gotchas: