“Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving as it is typically known, is traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year.
Stores open in the wee hours of the mornings, offering great discounts to the consumers who often line up early to get bargains. CNN Money.com predicts the number of people shopping on Black Friday will pick up more than 16% this year, according to a survey released Tuesday.  A staggering 57 million people said they would “definitely” head to stores on the day after Thanksgiving, up from 49 million in 2008, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation. On this day, shoppers can anticipate huge savings on electronics, apparel and toys.  Many retailers have already announced their deals to the public. Sights such as: www.Black-Friday.net lists many of the deals consumers can expect. Today, Forbes listed the ten best Black Friday bargains: http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/19/black-friday-sales-business-commerce-thanksgiving-day-discounts.html

To make Black Friday as stress-free as possible, iPhone has added an app for Black Friday. For $2.99, owners of Apple’s (AAPL, Fortune 500) popular smart phone and its iPod Touch player can download Mall Maps – You Are Here, a portable database of mall floor plans, store lists and other information intended to help shoppers avoid headaches this holiday season. Tech-savvy holiday shoppers are hoping the new iPhone application will help them beat the rush on Black Friday. This Mall Maps app (Trying saying this ten times fast), which is useful for those who want to get in and out as quickly as possible, offers information on more than 1,000 malls nationwide.

And if you miss the discounts offered on Black Friday, there is always Cyber Monday.  Cyber Monday, the Monday immediately after Black Friday, is the symbolic kick-off to the online holiday season.  Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation, officially named this shopping day “Cyber Monday” in 2005.  Cyber Monday is the day retailers use their online shopping hubs to offer special discounts to its consumers. The website www.cybermonday.com lists the many deals and coupons various online retailers offer.  Whether you shop on Black Friday, Cyber Monday or both, hopefully you will be able to enjoy tremendous savings this holiday season. Tis’ the Season!