The day after Thanksgiving is referred to as "Black Friday" and marks the beginning of  holiday shopping.

On Black Friday, November 29 this year, stores like Walmart, Old Navy, GameStop, Kmart, Office Max, Staples, ACE Hardware, Lowe’s, RadioShack, JCPenney, Sam’s Club, Tractor Supply Company, Sears,Walgreens, and Kohls make available popular products such as HDTVs, toys, electronics, and clothing at their lowest prices of the year.

In general, most retailers do not allow you to price-match another store's black friday advertisement. Also, retailers do not offer rain checks and rarely offer layaway options on Black Friday. Of course, this varies from store to store, but in general do not expect these options to be available to you on Black Friday.

Stores will allow you to use coupons on Black Friday as long as the coupon qualifies for your purchase. Be sure to read over the fine print on the coupon itself and make sure that shopping on Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday is not excluded from the coupon's terms.

Radio Shack opens it's cyber shopping doors at midnight Thursday morning (Thanksgiving Day) and it's physical doors open at 6:00am on Black Friday.

This year, JC Penney is having a ton of doorbuster deals. In fact, 90% of their ad is doorbusters.  These doorbuster deals are pretty much what you would expect from JC Penney, with lots of specials on clothing, kitchen appliances, and housewares. JC Penney opens at 4:00am on Black Friday.

CVS will have a number of early bird deals as will competitor Walgreens.

Walgreens opens at 7:00am on Black Friday with deals good until 2:00pm.

Lowe's invites shoppers online for a sneak peak on Thursday at Friday's deals.  

Big Lots opens at 7:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day with specials, again hoping to find early shoppers a little earlier.

If you're headed out there...survival tips:

Experienced shoppers say if at all possible, do not shop alone. One of the two of you gets in line at the register while the other runs around the store getting the items on your list. Or divide the list to speed things up. This team approach is especially helpful at stores like Walmart.

Besides checking out the ads & stores ahead of time, keep an eye on the forecast & dress appropriately.  Check the weather here first.  

Ditch the handbag or pocket book, one less thing to get in your way and have on hand hot coffee -- you'll need it.  There is a reason travel mugs were invented.

If you have children be smart & get a babysitter or leave them with a relative. No child, especially a young one, should be subjected to the crowds on Black Friday. Plus, you know it is much easier to shop with out them. Same goes for a whiny spouse who hates shopping.

Clean out your car trunk before Black Friday, you'll need the room.

Bring along a list of the Black Friday items you're interested in. Stay organized and get your coupons ready in advance. Some families formulate a plan by dividing up to take advantage of promotions at different stores. Plan out your items and lists so that you can get in and out of the store quickly and early.

Arriving at the store an hour or two in advance may help you get ahead in line. Try to get to the check out line as soon as you can. Lines can be long and you want to try to get to the next store on your list as soon as you can.

So, be safe, super shoppers -- go forth -- or stay on-line and prosper this Christmas in your gift buying.