By John Mahoney, 6:10 PM on Wed Nov 19 2008, 4,647 views (Edit, to draft, Top, Slurp)

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While you are busy letting us know your Black Friday plans for this year over in our Question of the Day, do feel free to cheat off the paper of the 1,000 or so folks Consumer Reports called up and grilled on their own personal plans for post-holiday mayhem. How will Giz readers stack up?

CR found that, unsurprisingly, the number of folks hitting the stores is higher this year despite the economy's current position in the proverbial shitter—26% versus 21% in 2007. And of that 26%, electronics remain the main target, although much more so this year than last, with 85% heading to the gadget aisles over 70% previously. What's hot with CR's poll respondents? Gaming systems (those Xbox 360 price cuts seem like they're working out pretty well), which 46% of BF shoppers have their eye on first (compared to a much-lower 29% last year. iPods and other MP3 players come in a close second at 44% of folks planning on buying, up from 33%.

Still, I must throw in my two cents here: if you're able to wake up at the crack of dawn to stand in the cold waiting for some electronics deals with hundreds of other bleary-eyed souls, you're simply not doing Thanksgiving with the gluttony and excess it deserves. So save the shopping for later in the day at the computer, in your underpants, with a nice hot mug of the previous night's mulled wine helping you start the day (er, afternoon). That, friends, is a post-Thanksgiving Friday well-spent. [Consumer Reports]

More Advice for the Black Friday Fray:
• The aforementioned Ultimate Survival Guide.
• 5 Gadgets You Can't Skimp On (And How to Save Money Buying Them)
• Best of Black Friday Deals Complete Roundup">All the best deals in one place
• Plus these late breaking ones from Cupertino: Apple Black Friday Deals Include Some Decent Third-Party Discounts
• Warnings: 7 Crappy Black Friday "Deals" That Aren't Really
• How To Choose an HDTV on Black Friday (or Any Day)
• How to set up that new HDTV you just got.

Photochop Contest:
• Brutally Honest Black Friday Ads Showcase Retailers on the Brink

Why You Might Want to Avoid Shopping on Black Friday, altogether:
• 10 Reasons We're Doomed: Black Friday Edition
• WalMart Worker Trampled to Death by Deal-Crazed Black Friday Shoppers

[Complete Black Friday Gadget Coverage at Giz]