As lines wrap around stores and shoppers flood malls to find the best deals, it’s clear that the holiday shopping season has officially begun. For years, shoppers have been lining up at midnight in search of the lowest prices though, this year, shoppers may be able to start before Black Friday, which falls on Nov. 23. With stores like Walmart, Kmart and Target opening on Thanksgiving, shoppers will have more time to discover the best bargains. Though other stores, like H&M and Expresswill open at midnight, they will be offering pre-Black Friday sales in stores and online, as well as discounts on Black Friday. Read on to find the best deals.

Walmart
Walmart plans to open Black Friday sales at 8 p.m. on Thursday. They’re having three events one at 8 p.m., one at 10 p.m. and one at 5 a.m. on Friday. Sales include flat screen TVs starting at $78 (for a 24”), new X-Box video games priced at $25, ping pong tables at $6, trampolines for $16, air hockey tables starting at $29.86, HP Printers for $19, Garmin touch screen GPSs and Nikon cameras for $69.

Bargain hunters and Black Friday shoppers normally lurk around the store before the Black Friday sales begin, hoping to get a glimpse of the deals before they are revealed and get a sense of the layout. Customers may be encouraged to wait until the deals actually begin, but most shoppers take advantage of Walmart’s 24-hour policy and try to get a head start by researching which areas of the store they should go to first. Although Walmart is one of the many stores often featured on the news for Black Friday mishaps, the only deals worth attracting any attention are their sales on electronics. Most other items are already cheap to begin with. However, their deals on digital cameras and television screens are worth waiting in line for— especially you’re willing to push, shove, kick and scream to get that bargain.

Apple
Apple’s Black Friday sales typically feature discounts of 5-10 percent on Apple products, stronger discounts on Apple-compatible accessories, and free shipping sitewide. Offers will be available both in-store and online on Nov. 23. Apple stores will open at 8 a.m. on Black Friday. Shoppers could find $101 deductions from Mac laptops, $41 off the 16GB iPad 2, $51 off the 32GB iPad, and $61 off the 64GB iPad. Despite these discounts, many new products may not have extensive discounts on Black Friday.

With its simple, open layout and many employees, shopping at Apple is an enjoyable experience, even on one of the busiest shopping days of the year. The lines at Apple last year were some of the fastest-moving lines in the mall, making shopping at Apple one of the least stressful parts of Black Friday. Without cluttered merchandise and mazes of disorganized aisles, it was easy to browse through all of the items before making a purchase, a process made even easier by the many helpful Apple employees.Though there probably will not be discounts on the newest products, particularly the iPhone 5, the deals on accessories and other products, as well as the excellent customer service, make visiting Apple a must this Black Friday.

H&M
With pre-Black Friday deals from Nov. 19 to Nov. 21 that offer items starting at $7, H&M is also promising more deals at midnight on Black Friday. The store is offering sweaters and dresses from $5, pants and kids’ jackets from $10, outerwear from $15 and scratch off cards worth up to $300 for the first 100 people in line.

Last year, the line that began to form at 10 p.m. outside the mall entrance closest to H&M stretched all the way to Urban Outfitters. Excited customers anxiously waited in line for two hours, hoping they would be one of the 100 people to get a scratch card. As soon as the doors opened, the crowd rushed in, racing each other to be the first at the H&M entrance. Most customers were disgruntled to find that other entrances had let people in before they were supposed to, hurting their chances at winning a scratch card. Soon, a pool of people as young as 10 stood against the H&M doors, growing more impatient as the seconds passed. Though the customers who won scratch cards felt victorious, the fine print of only being able to use the card that day worried some. For most customers who did not win scratch cards, the sales at H&M seemed pointless. Except for the heavily discounted outerwear, the rest of the merchandise seemed to have the same price as H&M’s usual sales. Regardless, the fitting room and checkout lines wrapped around the store. Sometimes the wait lasted as long as two hours.

Urban Outfitters
Until 10 a.m. on Black Friday, Urban Outfitters is offering 50 percent off on all sale items, a deal that is valid in stores and online.

Unless you are one of the few people in front of the huge mob waiting outside of Urban Outfitters, chances are you will not be able to shop in the sales section. Heavily disorganized and exceptionally hectic, the sales section of Urban Outfitters empties extremely fast— because it’s extremely cheap. Items that are already on clearance, including shoes and accessories, will be half the ticket price. Black Friday at Urban Outfitters not only invites all the people who already spend hundreds of dollars there, but also the window shoppers who can’t normally afford the merchandise. This is the one day of the year where Urban Outfitters fits a minimum-wage earning high school student’s budget. Though it may be hard to find items because of the mess, the value and bargain make it extremely worth it.

Macy’s
By becoming a Macy’s Insider, customers will be able to preview Black Friday deals and enjoy an extra 20 percent off online and in store. Use promo code FEAST to receive 20 percent off regular, sale and clearance prices, including select jewelry and 15% off home, shoes, rugs & select watches.

As with any other big retailer, Macy’s lines stretch around the store. However, customers who arrive early may be able to skip the wait. With great deals and surprise reductions, Macy’s is definitely a store to check out. They often have coupons like $10 off a $25 purchase that customers can receive through e-mail or through their catalog. These coupons can be used in addition to other deals including the 15%-20% reduction. Although it may be hard to find items and the size of the store may seem daunting, it is definitely worth looking into.

Express
Express will be offering a pre-Black Friday sale of 50 percent off sitewide from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23 and is expected to generate heavy traffic on their website though they do hope to avoid the crash they experienced last year. Deals on Black Friday itself include $30 off a $75 purchase, $50 off a $150 purchase and $90 off a $250 purchase. On Nov. 26, Cyber Monday deals include 40 percent off all items and free shipping.

Express is a store notorious for their overpriced but highly desired clothing. The customers who shop here are usually business oriented and wealthy enough to afford spending $30 on a basic tee. Although the prices are still a bit high on Black Friday, the big sale signs attract large flocks of customers who are willing to shovel through boxes of merchandise. Although they do offer deals such as $50 off a $150 purchase, these deals can also be redeemed by signing up for the store’s e-mail alerts. In fact, customers who sign up for the store’s e-mail alerts receive these deals about twice a month. Unless you’re a die hard Express fan, I think it’s safe to skip this one on Black Friday.

Kmart
Kmart sales start online on Thanksgiving at 5 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Friday, and in-store discounts start on Thursday at 6 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. Kmart opens again on Thanksgiving at 8 p.m. until 3 a.m., then opens at 5 a.m. on Black Friday and offers discounts until 11 a.m.

Despite the fact that lines moved very slowly last year at Kmart, it was worth the wait, as the store had great deals on electronics and appliances. However, big-ticket items, particularly electronics, are heavily advertised and are the first to sell out, so arrive early.

Kohl’s
In-store deals start at noon on Thanksgiving and last until noon on Black Friday. Deals continue on Nov. 24 from 6 a.m. until noon. Through all three days, discounts include 60-70% off women’s outerwear, women’s sweaters for $9.99 and 50-60% all cold weather and fashion accessories.

Kohl’s is definitely worth visiting for some great sales on clothes and home items, but lines often reach around the store within the first few hours, so it’s best to visit early. Items with the greatest discounts sell out quickly, so if you are looking to buy a particular item, arrive early. Last year, all of the checkout counters were not open, ensuring that the line moved very slowly, so when shopping there this year, it’s a good idea to have someone hold your place in line.

MAC Cosmetics
Opening at midnight on Black Friday, MAC offers both in-store and online savings. On Black Friday, shoppers can get a dark silvery lipstick and nail polish duo only available on Black Friday, and from 12 p.m.to 4 a.m. at MAC Cosmetics counters at Macy’s, MAC will be previewing its new Taste Temptation collection.

Last year, MAC brought back its Black Knight lipstick during Black Friday only, resulting in lots of traffic on their website, so expect the same crowds in-stores and online as they unveil their special lipstick and nail polish Black Friday duo and their new collection. Since MAC is incredibly expensive, any kind of sale is worth checking out, despite the enormous lines that will stretch out of the store. Though discounts at this store aren’t as heavy as those at many other stores, the high quality of their products and the chance to get exclusive Black Friday merchandise make MAC worth a visit.

Target
Starting on Thanksgiving at 9 a.m., sales at Target end on Nov. 24. Shoppers can find women’s tops and jackets starting at $10, sweaters for $15 and bérets and infinity scarves for $8.

Target’s extensive clearance racks are a great place to find clothes at low prices, but smaller sizes become hard to find after the store has been open for more than a few hours. Lines at Target were fairly long last year, though they moved fairly quickly, as most of the checkout counters were staffed.

Goodwill
Opening at 6 a.m. on Black Friday, the discounted store is offering an extra 50% off all merchandise including new products.

Goodwill, being one of the stores rarely visited on Black Friday, seemed empty at first last year. My friends and I were the only customers there except for two older women who looked to be about 80. However, as the hours passed, more people flooded the store and the line started wrapping around the store. Although Goodwill always does a 50% off sale on every holiday, customers never get tired of it. Each visit creates new opportunities and you probably don’t need more than $15 to shop at this store.

American Cancer Society Discovery Shop
Opening at midnight, this charity thrift shop will be offering 25% off select merchandise on Black Friday.

The American Cancer Society Discovery Shop is a great thrift store with lots of promise, but very little merchandise targeting teens. Unless you’re looking for home decor, books, or jewelry, this is probably not the place for you. Also, not all merchandise will be on sale. If you’re on a time crunch and are planning on visiting a lot of stores, this one is worth skipping.

Sephora
By liking Sephora’s Facebook page, customers will be able to see a few of the merchandise priced at $10 going on sale for Black Friday. Products will only be available on Black Friday in stores and online.

Sephora’s Black Friday sales are the only time most of their products are even remotely affordable to the average student, so Black Friday is a great time to buy some of the makeup you’ve always wanted but never could afford. Of course, only select items are discounted enough to make them affordable, but the selection of sale items is broad enough that everyone can find something. Lines at Sephora weren’t as long as those in many other stores last year, but since the Sephora has few checkout counters, customers had to wait for over 30 minutes. Even a few hours into Black Friday sales, Sephora hadn’t sold out of all of it’s discounted items, so though this store is definitely worth visiting, you won’t need to rush.

by ILAF ESUF & KAVYA PATHAK