Draft a foolproof game plan for Black Friday bargain hunting

If you're braving Black Friday—the day of blowout shopping on November 27; not the 1940 movie...although they both stir the same fright within me, and the movie tagline up there could easily apply to some Black Friday shoppers—it couldn't possibly hurt to plan ahead. In fact, a little bit of research can get you deep discounts from the comfort of your own computer desk this season. You may not even have to wait for Black Friday to get Black Friday deals from some vendors this year.

Many Black Friday advertisements are available for your perusal so that you can gauge whether venturing out is even worth it. For example, cnnmoney.com has republished a list of doorbuster deals from both Target and Walmart, which include $3 kitchen Chefmate kitchen appliances, $246 32-inch LCD HDTVs (Target), and $59 Tom Tom GPS systems (Walmart). You can see Black Friday ads and deal lists for those, and many other stores at blackfriday.info

Want Black Friday deals now, and want to order price-slashed goods online so you can bypass the crowds and lines altogether? Circuitcity.com has already started rolling out deals on products you can have shipped directly to you, and Sears' Black Friday NOW! campaign allows you to preview Black Friday-style doorbuster sales every Wednesday 'til Christmas. Sears' early Black Friday deals (there are new items up for grabs each week)  are to be fulfilled in-store every Saturday 'til Christmas. So, really, I guess you could say it's early Black Saturdays over at Sears. Their past deals include 50% off Craftsman 302-piece tool sets and $499 42-inch Zenith plasma TVs.