Shopping on Black Friday can be amazing, or it can be chaotic. The most important thing is to make sure that you prepare. I don’t mean know where all the best deals are. It is important to take care of yourself while battling the crowds. Here are some tips to remember for extreme shopping.

1.       Stay hydrated. Bring a bottle of water with you. Your mind and body will be preoccupied with shopping and you may forget to respond to a cry for help. You can bring a plastic bottle which will be light to carry, but make sure that you refill it! A reusable bottle with filter is also a good option, but may be heavy. 

2.       Bring a snack. The lines are long for shopping but also food places. Bring a protein bar or nuts to snack on. Keeping food in your body will allow you to shop longer without getting cranky. There is nothing worse than being hangry while you shop.

3.       Bring the right bag. Your choice of designer is not relevant, but the style is. Make sure that you bring a purse or bag that is functional. A purse that slides off of your arm or is too small to hold essentials is pointless. No one is looking at your label at 5:00 in the morning. Small backpacks are also trendy this winter, so I recommend one of those.

4.       Stay germ free. Cold and flu season has started. Bring plenty of hand sanitizer to avoid picking up a bug from your fellow shoppers. You may want to pack travel size tissues just in case.

5.       Dress smart. Have a pair of Lula Roe leggings you haven’t worn yet? Now is the time to rock your crazy pattern pants. You need to be comfortable for standing and running around for long periods of time. Layers of clothing will help with times when you have hot flashes of excitement, or are cold waiting outside to enter a store. The most important thing? Footwear. Forget your cute boots; you need to be wearing shoes with support. Remember those shoes you bought for all the times you were going to go to the Camden fitness center? They are now your shopping shoes.

Black Friday shopping can end up being the worst day of your life if you let it. Prepare, and you can kiss the aches and pains goodbye.