Black Friday may be the start of the shopping season, but for some people, it's a painful reminder of what they don't have. For those people, it's almost become an anti-holiday.

"On Friday, I'm planning on tackling a number of things off my honey-do list," says Robert Zonis, a product development chemist in Shelbyville, Tenn. who recently learned that his job will be terminated at the end of the year. "At least that's the plan. I know I'm deliberately staying away from television, radio, newspapers and leaving the house in general."

Seasoned Black Friday shoppers know that the best way to save during this all-important shopping day is to plot out a course of action ahead of time. That means knowing what you want and where to get it -- at the lowest possible price, of course.

Such planning entails scouring the Black Friday ads and comparing prices and selection. To help ease the load, WalletPop has done some of the legwork for you. We've combed through the ads that have been released so far and dug up the best deals on everything from high-definition TVs and Blu-ray players to tools and sweaters.

Sears and Kmart are going on the third week of early Black Friday promotions, with door-buster deals all weekend leading up to the actual Black Friday.

To lure more traffic on Black Friday, department store chain Kohl's is allowing customers to create their shopping lists online.

Nov. 22-27, shoppers can compare shop, print out ads, prices and photos of items on their Holiday wishlist, the Wisconsin-based chain said in a press release. It would be just like creating a wedding or baby shower registry, and the online list would help shoppers focus on things they need rather than indulge in impulse buying.

Even though the most recent consumer credit reports show credit card debt is declining, consumer's debit cards are getting quite a workout. Debit card transactions recently surpassed credit card transactions for the first time ever.

With just a few weeks until the turkey hits the table, more ads are leaking out for Black Friday, including rumored deals from Old Navy and Lowes. In addition to Black Friday-only deals, Old Navy is celebrating with "Gobble Palooza" with deals starting on Thanksgiving Day at noon and continuing on Friday, when they open at 3:00 a.m.!

Another day, another Black Friday ad leaked and viewable online for your Black Friday planning pleasure.

This time Kmart's 40 page Black Friday ad has leaked, revealing exactly which toys, electronics and other goods will be getting special Black Friday pricing.

Invoking their famous Blue Light Specials, Kmart is celebrating the day of shopping with "Blue Friday" deals from 6-11 a.m.

Today at WalletPop we have a special treat. We packed our backpack, grabbed an oxygen tank and took off to the top of Deal Mountain in search of Coupon Sherpa, a master of deals who answers questions about deals at the Ask Coupon Sherpa Blog, to find out how he does it and share with you his 6 tips to gear up for Black Friday and holiday shopping.

WalletPop: So, Coupon Sherpa, we know you're all about reliable coupons. What can you tell me about getting ready for Black Friday and holiday shopping?

Coupon Sherpa: Thanks for making the trek up to my summit on Deal Mountain. My first tip for shoppers is to save wear and tear on your feet and wallet by checking your junk mail for Black Friday sales, many of which include useful coupons. If you don't have a subscription, Thanksgiving is an excellent day to pick up your regional papers as Black Friday advertising consistently makes this the fattest newspaper of the year.

Sears is greeting our collective obsession with deals with open arms. Rather than waiting until after Thanksgiving, Sears is offering doorbusters each week until Christmas. Starting this Friday, October 30.

According to the company, the sale starts this week on Friday at 5 p.m. and extends through Saturday at noon because of Halloween. Beginning the following week, "Black Friday Now" continues on Saturday mornings through Christmas. New doorbuster values start each Saturday at 7 a.m. and are valid through noon.

Here's a sample of what to expect this week:

• 50 percent off (save $200) Craftsman® 302-piece mechanic's tool sets
• $79.99 (reg. $259.99) 3/8 ct. tw. diamond stud earrings
• $174.19 (reg. $259.99) 7 1/2 ft. Wakefield Christmas tree with 700 Never Out(TM) clear or multi lights
• 50 percent off all DieHard workboots (reg. $75.00) and $19.99 (reg. $39.99) on all Covington low-shaft boots
• $399.99 closeout (reg. $699.99) ProForma XP elliptical 16-in stride length

A sneak peak at the following week's deals reveals a 42" Zenith Plasma TV for only $499 (reg. $649.99). Can't make it to the store? Sears is offering pre-ordering starting October 29 at Sears.com.

Sears actual Black Friday sales list is also up perusal on Black Friday Info.

UPDATE: Just like the leaked ad for Apple proved to be a disappointment, Office Max has informed WalletPop that the leaked ad for Office Max is in fact a forgery. It's a shame that the ad wasn't real because it would have been the cheapest place to get a netbook on Black Friday.

Admit it.: ever since you read our Black Friday 2009 predictions you've been waiting to see the first ad! Well, the wait is over. BlackFriday.info has secured the first Black Friday ad for 2009 which comes from OfficeMax. BlackFriday.info is still labeling the ad as a rumor but feels that is is at least, "partially correct."

OfficeMax's new ad is available on their Facebook fan page and still offers a few deals to keep a watch on.

• $49 - High Back Executive Office Chair
• $24.99 - 7" Digital Photo Frame
• $79.99 - Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student edition
• $39.99 - Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 (Speech Recognition for your computer)
• $39.99 - Linksys Wireless N Router

Incorrect leaked deals:
Here are some of best deals which match up with our Black Friday predictions.

• Acer Aspire One Netbook - $149.99
• Magellan GPS - $69.99
• Memorex 7" portable DVD player - $29.99
• Microsoft Office 2007 - $49.99
• SunGale 7" Digital Picture Frame - $29.99

These are just some of the doorbuster deals to be had when OfficeMax opens at 7 AM on Black Friday. They also have discounts on digital cameras, memory cards, office chairs and many other accessories.

Now that the first ad for Black Friday 2009 has leaked out expect to see others follow in its footsteps. Even with new security measures in place to prevent leaks like these BlackFriday.info expects to have 2 more ads by the end of the month and daily updates in November.

If you plan to stand outside for doorbuster deals make sure your read about how to stay safe on Black Friday and as always, check out WalletPop's Black Friday 2009 coverage for additional deals and details.

Thanksgiving has become known to shoppers as one of the best days to buy stuff online, but like most conventional wisdom about shopping it's actually not the best day to buy online.

According to research done by Yahoo, online retailers saw a 147% increase in purchases on Black Friday compared to other days in November, more than double the increase on Cyber Monday.

This may be news to most shoppers since Cyber Monday is hyped as the best day to buy stuff online but according to Dan de Grandpre, CEO of Dealnews.com, "It's been that way for years. Every year as far back as I recall, traffic to dealnews.com was higher on Black Friday than Cyber Monday." explaining that, "After all, that makes sense, since Cyber Monday is a recently invented "Hallmark holiday": an event made-up by retailers and industry groups to drive online sales."

According to de Grandpre, there's a simple reason why shoppers buy more on Black Friday; "the deals are better." The term Cyber Monday was coined to explain the rise in sales of online items as shoppers returned to offices to get the items they missed on Black Friday but with more retailers starting sales early Cyber Monday is no longer a day to get the items you missed.

For the past several years major retailers have embraced our desire to shop earlier by offering the same doorbuster deals that draw crowds to the store, online. De Grandpre estimates that "we'll see 80-90% of the tech doorbusters available online this year, with a lower percentage of apparel and other soft goods." For shoppers this means you can enjoy all of the savings without having to worry about Black Friday safety and security.

The day after Thanksgiving is both the best shopping day of the year or the worst. Combine a store offering its lowest prices all year with a crowd of anxious, cash-strapped consumers who've been standing in line for many pre-dawn hours, and you're asking for trouble.

Last year, we saw how quickly things can get out of hand, when a Walmart customer was trampled to death in Valley Stream, New York, during a Black Friday sale. There isn't any hard data on the number of injuries on Black Friday, but sadly, that wasn't an isolated incident, even for Walmart: Shoppers at the retailer have been hurt in stampedes near Grand Rapids, Michigan; another in Columbus, Ohio, reportedly took an elbow to the face. Black Friday rarely seems to pass without some scuffle or incident.

It's that time of year, ladies and gentlemen! Time to crack open your budgeting software or look at your Christmas Club account and figure out how much money you are going to spend on Black Friday!

Sure it's just a few days past Labor Day, but that doesn't mean we don't have some juicy Black Friday deal predictions for you. After all, the most famous shopping day of the year is only two months away.