The day after Thanksgiving, known to most as Black Friday, is always the most anticipated and chaotic shopping day of the year. Stores slash prices on select merchandise, and customers line up for hours to get their hands on must-haves and perfect holiday gifts at great prices. While shoppers spend weeks ahead of time browsing catalogs, making wish lists, and planning a shopping strategy that will ensure they end up with a pile of savvy purchases, local store managers are preparing for the crowds that will descend upon their stores this November 27. So how can you have your most stress-free Black Friday ever? Local store managers weigh in with some helpful hints.

Know when the stores open. Most stores will have this information online, in sales fliers, and posted in the stores leading up to Black Friday. Kohl’s in Auburn will open at 4 a.m. with over 300 specific early-bird specials, while the Auburn Mall will open its doors at 7 a.m. Wal-Mart, where Black Friday is known as “The Event,” will be open to customers at midnight, with the Black Friday sale beginning at 5 a.m. Store manager Dale Brann says this is so customers don’t have to wait outside in the cold, and to streamline the sales. By knowing when each store opens, you can plan a route beginning with the location of your most-desired item(s).

Know what you want when you get to the store. Utilizing pre-Thanksgiving sales flyers and helpful tools like Wal-Mart’s item map can ensure that you get straight to the items you want. Wal-Mart customers will stand in queue lines for the items they want, and there will be a map available the day before that they can print so they know exactly where to go for their priority items. Brann calls it “the most organized” Black Friday plan he has experienced, as Wal-Mart has “tried to set it up so [customers] can look at the items beforehand, and use the map to go right to the item and get what they want and leave.” Brann and other managers hope this system will eliminate the confusion and frustration some shoppers experience on the busy day. Brann expects that “as usual, electronics” will be the hot items, so getting to those first may be a good idea!

Keep an eye out for helpful employees. Most stores will be fully staffed with sales clerks and customer service officers to help customers find items and move through lines quickly. The Auburn Kohl’s manager, Chad Clow, says Kohl’s will have “every register open and operational” to move lines along. Many stores have employees keep track of lines and point customers in the direction of the shortest wait. Kohl’s also plans to have employees “play games with customers and give out coupons, to try to make it fun for everybody,” says Clow. Paying attention to employees in this instance could save you a lot of time and maybe a little money, too.

Pay with cash or cards. Using checks can slow down your checkout and create even longer lines than necessary. Having cash or credit/debit cards on hand will make your transactions go more smoothly. If you have a charge card for a specific store or brand, Clow suggests that Black Friday is a good day to use it. You’ll earn rewards, and your purchases will be easy to track if anything needs to be returned before or after the holidays.

Check out smaller local businesses. Nationwide retailers aren’t the only ones gearing up for Black Friday. Smaller local businesses are preparing and offering savings as well. Matt Pettengill, assistant manager at Nonesuch Books in South Portland, says his store has “made sure to stock all the hot titles, as well as really important backlist items” and that “the big thing is making sure [the store is] well-staffed to offer customer service and answer questions or make recommendations.” Cyndi Woodworth, manager of the Mystical Emporium in Auburn, says her store will also “offer coupons for savings on purchases over $25.” Shopping at smaller stores can still net you savings while allowing you to avoid long lines and big crowds.

And to wrap it all up:
Take advantage of special extras. According to the Auburn Mall’s Web site, free gift wrapping is offered on all Black Friday purchases. This is an easy way to save yourself some time and money this holiday season!