The Monroe Evening News got an e-mail today from a reader suggesting we do an advance story about Black Friday sales. The reader included some of her favorite Black Friday links.

“The economy is doing kind of poor right now, and it would be good to tell people to wait and shop on Black Friday instead of buying stuff at the stores right now,” the reader, Shannon, wrote.

Shannon’s note was forwarded to me. The newspaper’s traditional Black Friday story is stories and photos “from the front lines” as customers and retailers experience Black Friday.

But the Monroe on a Budget blog is where we’ve talked about saving money.

In response to Shannon’s note, I can tell you how to get good deals on Christmas gifts without Black Friday promotions! I can’t shop on Black Friday. I have to be far more creative than making a list for a one-day shopping blitz because I work on Friday morning when all the popular deals are taking place. And I’ve already started reporting on Christmas promotions in the local stores. Be sure to check in frequently at Monroe on a Budget throughout the next few weeks – keyword sales and deals.

However, the day after Thanskgiving has such a reputation for shopping deals that many sites and blogs do focus solely on what the Black Friday promotions will be. The Black Friday 2008 thread has also already started on the MonroeTalks forums.

And I can’t argue with the fact that Black Friday is when some shoppers kick off their shopping season. So I am willing to contribute to that discussion.

Now let me explain the “sales and deals” policy on Monroe on a Budget: I’ve had a long-standing procedure of vetting promotions for my local readers before I post them.

The reason: I got annoyed at other bloggers who posted discounts and promotions they found in their communities and assumed that those same offers were good everywhere else.

You CANNOT make those assumptions!

In a very recent example, there was discussion on Monroe on a Budget last week about specials that were good at some Kmart stores within driving distance – but NOT at the Monroe Kmart.

Therefore, if you are interested in any Black Friday reports you find on the Internet, I recommend you verify that sales price before purchase. For example:

• Look up the company’s corporate web site (type in the zip code of the store you want to shop at, if asked for). Some stores post Black Friday ads early, some don’t.
• Look at the newspaper inserts for a newspaper that is delivered or purchased in your zip code or your favorite store’s zip code. Yes, the stores do zone their advertising fliers! I once took a Jo-Ann Fabric coupon that was issued in a Michigan newspaper to an Ohio store — and there was a bit of confusion although the clerk did give me the discount.
• Pick up a copy of the flier as you walk into the store on Black Friday.
• Look at the signs at the store as you go shopping.

With that disclaimer in mind, here are some Black Friday sites that were sent to me and / or I found with a search engine:

• www.blackfriday.info
• www.black-friday.net
• www.blackfridayonline.com
• www.gottadeal.com/blackfriday
• www.bfads.net
• www.theblackfriday.com
• www.blackfriday.fm
• www.blackfridayads.com
• http://tgiblackfriday.com

By the way, have fun that morning!

(P.S. This post has been picked up on MSN Money’s Smart Spending Blog at It’s starting to look a lot like Black Friday.)