Once a year, millions of Americans "practice" for a currency crisis...
It's like what folks in Argentina experienced during the last currency crisis. And what Greek citizens had to do this summer.
They wake at 4 a.m... stand in line for hours... shuffle past security goons at the door... and hope that no one tries to "rush in" at the last minute...
But instead of trying to stock up on pesos or euros, Americans are waiting for the opportunity to save a few bucks on a big-screen TV on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.
For years, you could save hundreds of dollars by standing in line. The tradeoff of time-to-value was worth it.
Thankfully, there's no point anymore. Now, there's only one place worth going on Black Friday...
Home.
Last year was the first time that I did all my Black Friday shopping on the Internet, mostly on Amazon (the world's largest retailer). The deals at your local brick-and-mortar store are simply not good enough to justify losing sleep and spending hours waiting in line.
More stores now offer online-only deals starting on Black Friday. And even better is the Monday after Thanksgiving – Cyber Monday. That's the day Internet retailers designate for their biggest deals.
Amazon even announced it's starting a "countdown" week of sales from Friday, November 20 through Black Friday. And it's not the only one starting early. Several websites – like www.theblackfriday.com and www.blackfriday.com – track the best deals.
But cyber-deal enthusiasts beware: You need to stay safe when you shop online...