Black Friday: Worth It or Forget About It

It's no secret that the holidays are upon us from all the ads and sales broadcasted via television, radio, social media and bus stops.

According to the National Retail Federation, an estimated 152 million shoppers are expected to hit up stores and websites this Black Friday weekend.

The day after Thanksgiving, known as "Black Friday," is traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year across the country. In recent years, the race to compete for customers' dollars has gotten more and more competitive amongst retail companies. Opening times at stores have been creeping back earlier and earlier, from as early as 4 a.m. to, this year, midnight for some stores like , and .

Now, some stores are even announcing plans to be open with special shopping deals on Thanksgiving Day.

Patch wants to know:

• What sales and shopping deals do you plan to take advantage of this year?
• What's the "must have" item this year?
• Will you go out on Black Friday?
• Or, would you even go out on Thanksgiving Day, if the deals were enticing enough?

Vote in our poll below and write your answers in the comments.

Be sure to read our Holiday Guide 2011 for the latest in local holiday events, stories and other news of interest this holiday season. We will be adding new content to it every week!