Buy one get one free. First 100 customers in the store will get a $5 gift card. 50% off all accessories. Black Friday is known for all its deals and chaos. However, these deals aren’t worth all the chaos involved in shopping.

Last year, 140.1 million shoppers were recorded going out over the Black Friday weekend. According to the National Retail Federation, that number is expected to grow by 2.5%.

Only 30% of annual retail sales occur in the time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This means that stores have 70% of their annual sales nowhere near Black Friday. Better deals are available throughout the year.

One alternative to avoiding the hundreds of shoppers is to have a plan. Know where to go, when to go and what to buy. Retailmenot is a coupon website that logs both the online and in-store Black Friday deals. Users can save coupons or deals, and may often get additional deals not offered elsewhere. That helps with the where and the what. But knowing when to go is a different deal. The busiest time to go is on Friday itself. 65% of Thanksgiving weekend shoppers went on Friday, when the same deals are often offered throughout the weekend. The least busy time is Thursday, Thanksgiving itself. Not only is Thursday the least busy time, but it also has the most merchandise available.

Cyber Monday is another alternative to the hectic Black Friday shopping. Many of the same deals are available, plus 92% of stores offer free shipping.

by OLIVIA GRAHL