Black Friday Shopping in Milwaukee

The day after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the year, when holiday hordes descend on department stores in search of the best deals on just about everything. In the face of such commotion, how does one stay calm yet manage to snag those amazing gifts for next to nothing? The answer is planning -- even down to laying out your shopping outfit the night before. Do your research before you venture out and all you'll have to deal with is making sure your actually awake when it comes time to bust down those retailers' doors.

Read Milwaukee Black Friday Ads in Print
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Thursday, November 22, Thanksgiving Day edition it going to be filled with Black Friday shopping ads. Be sure to pick one of these papers up, but do realize that many in the metro area are going to be reading this same paper -- don't rely on the newspaper alone. Pull ads for a few stores, then gather information from other sources as well.

Read Milwaukee Black Friday Ads Online
There are tons of sites devoted to bringing you up-to-the-minute information on Black Friday deals. These will be a great resource in supplementing your newspaper ads.

• Black-Friday.net
• Black Friday at GottaDeal.com
• BlackFriday.com

Plan Your Route
The "big box" stores that you desperately need to get to are invariably going to be located on opposite ends of town. Check out the opening times of the stores you most want to hit and plan your route accordingly.

• Toys R Us - 8 p.m. Thursday evening
• Sears - 8 p.m. Thursday evening
• Target - 9 p.m. Thursday evening
• Kohls - 12 a.m. (midnight)
• Macy's - 12 a.m. (midnight)
• Best Buy - 12 a.m. (midnight)
• Walmart - 5 a.m.
• Menards - 5 a.m.
• JCPenney - 6 a.m.

Don't Forget About the Outlets
It's a bit of a drive to get to any of of the bigger outlets, but if you're going through the hassle of Black Friday anyway, why not do it right?

• Johnson Creek Premium Outlets - Johnson Creek, Wisconsin - Head west about 45 minutes to Johnson Creek to take advantage of already discounted wares at an easy-access outlet mall, and ditch the hassle of city driving. Johnson Creek will officially open at midnight the morning of Friday, November 23, but many stores will open as early as 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving evening.
• Gurnee Mills Outlet Mall - Gurnee, Illinois - At just about an hour's driving time, you can be across the border at one of the best outlets in the Midwest. Gurnee Mills stores will open at 4 a.m. on Friday, November 23.

Don't Forget About the Malls
While they may not feature all the door-buster sales of the box stores, sometimes its just easier to hit the mall. You park once, load up with stuff, and go home again. It's just so easy.

• Brookfield Square - 5 a.m., though select stores open as early as midnight
• Southridge - midnight
• Bayshore Town Center - 7 a.m., though select stores open as early as 8 p.m. Thursday evening
• Mayfair Mall - 5 a.m., though select stores open as early as midnight