Beyond the first aisle, there be dragons.
That's borrowed from the quote on a plaque sold in a mail order catalog ("Beyond this place, there be dragons.") but it's pretty much a good observation of the people inside WalMart on the Friday after Thanksgiving, known as "Black Friday," the busiest shopping day of the year.
I did the early morning Black Friday thing once...once! I've sworn myself to never do that again. People are downright nasty on Black Friday.
So, if you are going to do battle with other shoppers on Black Friday, you can either take the Capital One barbarians with you or heed the tips at dollarhacker.com on how to survive Black Friday. Better than my suggestion of carrying a nice Glock 9mm semi-automatic with a couple of clips. Probably illegal in most states, definitely in San Francisco.
Two tips at the end of the list are important. Don't bring the kids. It will be crowded, lots of people running around and generally unpleasant for them. Also, be kind and flexible with the store staff. It's rough for them too and they are going to be dealing with a lot of nonsense. A smile goes a long way.
By the way, I just learned that quote, "Beyond this place there be dragons" was written at the ends of maps 500 or so years ago.
