Your Ultimate Black Friday Shopping Guide 2011

I remember a year when my sister and I went Black Friday shopping. Not knowing much about the biggest shopping day of the year (other than the fact that we wanted deals), we arrived at Macy's long after it had opened its doors.

And we were shocked.

We were shocked that we missed the free gifts even though it was barely 9 a.m. It was a surprise to know that so many shoppers had arrived at hours I've never seen before.

But if you're serious about scoring deals, I suppose you might as well sacrifice the zzz's for one day. I have yet to make such a sacrifice, but I don't want any Powegians left in the dust like I was that year.

So here's your ultimate guide for Black Friday shopping in Poway to ensure you score as many deals as possible:

Opens: Midnight on Thanksgiving Day

Advertisement: "Over 500 early bird deals." (We know they mean "more than" 500 deals.)

Five Good Deals:

• 50 percent off all toys from Matchbox, Hot Wheels and Nerf.
• $79.99 for CHI flat iron.
• 40-70 percent off various kitchen appliances after mail-in rebate.
• $79.99 for a 7-foot pre-lit Christmas tree.
• $6.99 for a Glee calendar.

Bonus: $15 off coupon for every $50 you spend.

Opens: Midnight on Thanksgiving Day

Advertisement: "Surprise Doorbusters."

Five Good Deals:

• $139.99 for an XBox 360 Game System.
• $55 for RCA 9-inch portable DVD player.
• $99 for Philips 9-inch dual screen DVD player.
• $39.99 for Ultimate Disney Princess Collection seven-doll gift set.
• $199 for Kitchenaid Ultra Power Stand Mixer.

Opens: 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day

Advertisement: Different deals on different days including "Friday Electronics Deals."

Five Good Deals:

• $248 for an HP AMD dual-core laptop.
• $199 for an Amazon Kindle Fire.
• $498 for Samsung 51-inch Plasma HDTV.
• $3.88-$6.88 for board games, including CandyLand and Monopoly.
• $2.84 for a Rival two-slice waffle maker.

Opens: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day

Advertisement: Different deals on different days. 

Five Good Deals:

• $189.99 for rocker recliners.
• $5 for 30-inch Dakin Plush Beer.
• $79 for Android 9-inch tablet.
• $25 for various Cuisinart appliances.
• $19 for 18-piece Royal Dress Up Trunk.

Bonus: Receive $10 off your next purchase when you spend more than $50.

Opens: 6 a.m. on Friday

Advertisement: 2-Days Only Sale.

Five Good Deals:

• $349 for HP laptop computer with Intel Pentium Processor.
• $299.99 for Gateway laptop computer with AMD dual-core A4 processor.
• $79.99 for Kindle and $199.99 for Kindle Fire.
• $39.99 for Canon PIXMA Wireless All-In-One.
• 50 percent off various chairs and desks.

Opens: 6 a.m. on Friday

Advertisement: Early Bird Specials from 6 a.m. to noon on Friday.

Five Good Deals:

• $299 for HP laptop with Intel Celeron B800 processor. 
• $79 for Amazon Kindle Wi-Fi with special offers.
• $49.90 for HP Photosmart Plus Wireless All-In-One.
• $99.99 for Acer 23-inch widescreen LCD monitor.
• $69.99 for Fujifilm JX30 bundle.

: Black Friday deals will not be published until Thanksgiving Day. However, this guide on its website provides information on how to keep up with deals including "Exclusive Facebook Deals."