Black Friday is the fiercest of holidays. Only the bravest dare to compete with the desperate bargain hunters. Before embarking on this journey, there are a few things one should keep in mind.

Junior Kaytlin Arthaud and her family have a tradition of buying all their Christmas presents on Black Friday and celebrating Christmas the Saturday following Thanksgiving since her family is too spread out across the country to rejoin again in December.

“We all have an early Thanksgiving dinner around 4 p.m., go to bed around 6 or 7 p.m. and then we wake up around 10 p.m. to go get in lines,” Arthaud said. “We all split up in different stores based on who wants what. There are about three people per group, and there are always 15 of us who go. It’s pretty intense.”

Arthaud’s tips:

• Go to the stores prior to Thanksgiving day and get a feel for the layout of the store so you can find what you want quicker.
• Take some water and food because lines get very long, and bring a phone charger and comfy shoes.
• Don’t get angry about anything.

Other families’ Black Friday traditions are a little less proactive. Junior Tara DeLong’s post-Thanksgiving ritual includes only a little research before shopping with her mother and aunt.

“Sometimes my mom will look online before, then we just head out that evening,” DeLong said. “It can get dangerous, going out at night and getting stuck in the big crowds. For some things, it’s just not worth it.”

DeLong’s tips:

• Look online at what is really worth it – what you really want.
• Don’t go somewhere super busy. You might get run over.

On the other end of the Black Friday spectrum, assistant professor of marketing Lori Sloan tries to stay away from the crowds of shoppers and opts to sleep in, watch football and eat leftovers instead. However, she still has experience with the post-holiday tradition.

“Black Friday has become a really big deal over decades,” Sloan said. “It was a simple idea to discount things to get people to start their Christmas shopping early, therefore kind of extending the Christmas season.  It’s built up steam as a giant retail and family-friendship holiday tradition, and people wait to buy certain things that day. Now with online shopping, it has become almost ridiculous with Black Friday lasting several days, maybe even a week, pushing the marketplace to shop online and in-store.”

Sloan’s tips:

• Be realistic with how many stores you plan to cover based on travel time and traffic.
• Make it a day of fellowship rather than hunting season.
• The parking will be atrocious.
• Have a budget, and stick to it.
• Shop local and support your hometown merchants.