Your Black Friday Shopping Guide

Many people think one of the best things about Golden Valley is the charm and character of the downtown area.  And while we've got great shops and restaurants, virtually none of them will be open early for Black Friday mayhem.

If Black Friday is not your thing, don't worry, Patch is going to have you thinking outside the big box on Friday morning with some great ideas for Christmas shopping that will take you to some unique places in and around Golden Valley. Then we've got awesome coming Saturday morning.

If Black Friday is your thing, read on.  There are plenty of Black Friday deals and opportunities for you this year and Patch has got you covered.

Here are tips and information to navigate through two big shopping areas,  the Shoppes at Arbor Lakes in Maple Grove and Albertville Premium Outlets in Albertville, your local Target store and other big box stores and one of the only big chain stores in Golden Valley—Walgreens.

Walgreens

We'll start with first.  It's not really a big box store, but we've got in Golden Valley now, so we thought we'd at least give you the 411.

Plan on normal hours for Black Friday (8 a.m. to 10 p.m.). The store has plenty of in-store sales and there's even a smart phone app to you can download to get additional Black Friday coupons.

For a look at the doorbuster sales, we found the Walgreens ad on BlackFriday2011.com. 

The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes (Information provided by The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes and is subject to change.)

Parking: With many commuters being home on Friday, Nov. 25, consider the free parking in the ramp behind The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes.

Hours: All stores in The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes open at 8 a.m. Friday, Nov. 25 unless otherwise noted below.

• Open at Midnight - ,

• Open at 4 a.m. - ,

• Open at 5 a.m. - , , , , Jos A Bank Clothiers, , , , , .

• Open at 6 a.m. - , , , , ,

• Open at 6:30 a.m. -

• Open at 7 a.m. - , ,

• Open at 9 a.m. - 

• Open at 10 a.m. -

• Open at 10:30 a.m. - ,

Special Deal: The first 50 guests that spend over $100 at any Shoppes stores or restaurants on Friday, Nov. 25, 2011, and bring their receipts to Guest Services (located in Building G, next to the Parking Ramp, behind Lane Bryant) will receive a 14.5 oz. three-wick candle from Bath & Body Works with a decorative metal sleeve ($24.50 value), according to The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes Marketing Director Jennie Zafft. Limit one candle per guest while supplies last.

For a full list of Black Friday savings, visit The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes website by clicking here.

Albertville Premium Outlets

Parking: There is plenty of parking available at the mall site, but it does fill up quickly on busy days. For this reason, Albertville Premium Outlets have set up a pair of parking options beyond the main location. 

• : Located just west of the mall, may park at the furniture outlet by going north of the outlets and hanging a left at the sign. There is room for nearly 100 more cars here. 

• : As always, shoppers can park at the school and catch a shuttle bus, courtesy of an arrangement between the outlets and Don's Bus Service. Shuttles run throughout the evening. 

Check out www.premiumoutlets.com before you shop for a center map, sales information and all the details you need to determine your plan-of-attack.  Knowing ahead of time will make shopping less overwhelming when you hit the center on Black Friday.  Also, be sure to check for off-site parking lots in case the main ones are full.   Establish your gift list in advance and be sure to include plenty of special items for yourself – your deserve it. And be sure to stick to a budget.

Target

Whether you're shopping in person or online, says it's got more than 170 items on sale and available to the public starting at midnight Friday morning.  The closest Target to Golden Valley is located in St. Louis Park, but all the neighboring Targets, like the , are also opening at midnight Friday morning.

The retailer's website has been running slowly this week, and one St. Louis Park Target employee told Patch that millions of people were trying to get a look at the Black Friday "doorbuster" ads, and it was causing the slowdown. That employee says you may experience a slowdown if you're doing online shopping at midnight if millions of other people are trying to shop online at the same time, too.

Other Big Box Stores

Using the website BlackFriday2011, we found the Doorbuster flyers for the following stores:

• Best Buy
• Sears
• JC Penney
• Toys R Us
• Kohl's

Local Shopping

If Black Friday is too much for you, or you're a super shopper and want even more options, Patch is here to help.  On Black Friday we've got some places to shop with unique gift ideas you might never have thought of. On Saturday, also known as Small Business Saturday, we've got your guide to the best shops in Golden Valley and Plymouth. 

Happy Shopping!