Holiday Shoppers: Find Deals and Avoid Headaches on the Best Shopping Days

While people will be waiting to get into stores even earlier this year, now that Black Friday starts at midnight for many major retailers, those in the know say that may not be the best time to shop, especially for those wishing to avoid headaches.

Sure there will be deals to get at midnight, but there will also be a lot of people out during Black Friday and Super Saturday, making those days less than optimal for shopping, according to ShopperTrak, the world's largest provider of retail and mall foot-traffic counting services.

"Most people shop on two of the season's famous days — Black Friday and Super Saturday — because they're convenient and offer potentially good deals," said Bill Martin, ShopperTrak co-founder. “… Based on real-time analytics, we can predict even better days to shop, when consumers' time and dollars will go further."

The week following Black Friday and Super Saturday is actually expected to be the best time to shop at stores, according to ShopperTrak. That week is expected to have the fewest crowds during the holiday season because many tired shoppers will not want to hit the stores again. For shoppers that means fewer crowds, but good deals for those who wait. Price reductions are possible too after the weekend if items didn’t sell.

Shoppers who visit stores during the week in early December will encounter the fewest headaches, according to ShopperTrak.

According to ShopperTrak the best days to shop from least busiest to busiest are:

Rank

Date

Week Day

1

Nov. 29

Tuesday

2

Nov. 28

Monday

3

Nov. 30

Wednesday

4

Dec. 1

Thursday

5

Dec. 6

Tuesday

6

Dec. 5

Monday

7

Dec. 7

Wednesday

8

Dec. 8

Thursday

9

Dec. 12

Monday

10

Dec.13

Tuesday

One retailer opening its doors on Thanksgiving is . The retailer has been opening its doors on Thanksgiving for 20 years. Kmart said in a news release that it is opening on Thanksgiving in most cities to allow its customers to beat the rush and get a jumpstart on holiday shopping.

"This holiday season, Kmart is offering customers spectacular deals on Black Friday, as well as special hours on Thanksgiving to give them the chance to take advantage of the offers early," Andrew Stein, vice president, marketing planning at Sears Holdings said in a news release. "We have made a promise to our shoppers to provide the best deals on the items they want and need, and during the holidays, we double efforts to keep that promise by marking down popular products in every department."

Kmart is also offering layaway again this holiday season. The layaway program allows customers to choose the items they wish to purchase and make biweekly payments over an eight- or 12-week period. Items can be chosen online and put on layaway and later be picked-up at local stores, according to Kmart.

Some of the holiday deals offered at Kmart on Thanksgiving include:

• Save $150 on Panasonic 42" plasma HDTV for $399.99 (Reg. $549.99)
• Save 70 percent on fine jewelry, plus save an extra 10 percent off all Red Tag jewelry
• Buy one, get one free Little Tikes infants' and preschool toys
• Save 50 percent on a variety of hot toys
• Buy one board game, get one at 50 percent off
• Up to 40 percent off bedding and bath
• Save 50 percent on family outerwear, cold weather accessories and footwear
• Save 50 percent on assorted Christmas trees, decorations and holiday decor
• Small kitchen appliances as low as $4.99 (Reg. $9.49)

Some of the Kmart Black Friday deals for Nov. 25, include: (Note, 5-11 a.m. door busters)

• PlayStation 3 2011 Holiday Bundle (includes 160GB entertainment system, Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One PS3 game and Little Big Planet 2 Special Edition PS3 game) for $199.99 (Reg. $219.99)
• Save $30 on Velocity Cruz R102 eReader for $69.99 (Reg. $99.99)
• Save $30 on Trim A Home 6-foot Blue Mountain tree for $19.99 (Reg. $49.99)
• Save $110 on 7-foot Auburn billiard table with BONUS table-tennis top for $189.99 (Reg. 299.99)
• Save 50 percent on family outerwear
• Save 70 percent on all fine jewelry, plus save an extra 10 percent on all Red Tag jewelry
• Save $50 on Craftsman 21inch123cc single-stage snow thrower for $299.99 (Reg. $349.99)
• Get a GE 12MP camera (a $59.99 value) with purchase of GE X500 for $149.99
• Save $50 on Panasonic 5.1-channel 330-watt DVD home theater system for $99.99 (Reg. $149.99)
• Save $50 on Garmin 40LM for $99.99 (Reg. $149.99)
• Save 10 percent on all major appliances

Kmart’s holiday store hours:

• Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24 (in most areas): 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 25: 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 26: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 27: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Nov. 28 through Dec. 3: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Dec. 4 through 10: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• Dec. 11 through 23: 6 a.m. to 12 a.m.
• Dec. 24: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Dec. 25: Closed