Black Friday is the official holiday shopping kickoff. ItâÄôs creeping up on my busy college student life so fast that I have had hardly enough time to realize that it is already next week. As the entirety of campus is gearing up for the impending stress of finals, finding the time to get holiday shopping completed is not necessarily at the top of our lists. Black Friday is the solution to this dilemma. This unofficial holiday has been a prominent signal of the start of the holiday season ever since I can remember.

For some, this start of the season is a festive and enjoyable event. For others, itâÄôs more about getting a deal on this seasonâÄôs newest and most expensive item or to finish shopping as soon as possible. The places that different types of shoppers will be making an appearance at this Nov. 25 might depend on the type of shopper that they decide they are.

If youâÄôve been brave enough to venture out on Black Friday in the early morning hours, then youâÄôve been witness to crammed parking lots and frantic shopping centers. Early morning shoppers who take full advantage of door buster sales are the die-hards âÄî the mavericks of Black Friday. A perk to getting all of their shopping done in one day is that they can enjoy the rest of the holiday season without worrying about buying gifts any more. Also, these shoppers save a great deal of money. But how could these strategic shoppers not take advantage of these deals? Some sales this year will include a 42âÄù flat screen television for just under $200 and certain Blue-ray movies for about $10. These shoppers know a good deal when they see it.

While these early-morning-shoppers venture to the hectic malls, other shoppers know how to condense this stress with online shopping. This particular tactic for shopping on Black Friday is not quite the same as the door-buster sales because of the limitations of buying online. When browsing online stores, customers are not able to see and feel the item to be purchased. However, there are still lots of comparable deals that can be taken advantage of from the comforts of oneâÄôs own home. Amazon.com is perhaps the most frequently visited online store. Their lightning deals âÄî which offer the âÄúhot item of the seasonâÄù at a very low price âÄî are a great way to save money. The catch is these deals are only offered for a short period of time âÄî so you have to be quick before the time or the product runs out.

There are also Black Friday shoppers who are simply out perusing the malls for the social and festive aspects of it. These shoppers âÄî myself included âÄî are more interested in partaking in the shopping itself and using it as a way to enjoy the start of the holiday season. You may even find these shoppers at some of the pre-Thanksgiving sales.

OPM, a clothing store located near the uptown area in St. Louis Park, Minn., is having a day-before-Thanksgiving sale and will be closed on Black Friday instead. But if shoppers are forced to offer emotional support for a friend on Black Friday itself, Primp in the uptown area will be having a sale the day of. For those shoppers who still want to check out the most recent gadgets on the market, the Apple store in the uptown area has been open on Black Friday in past years. These shoppers are interested in getting a good deal or two, but their intent in shopping might simply be to see what is offered at stores. If they come out with something fun in the end, then theyâÄôve had a successful shopping trip.

As busy students, using Black Friday as a way to take advantage of precious time is a perk, while saving money is another. This Black Friday âÄî no matter what type of shopper you are âÄî students can reap the rewards in many ways.