Black Friday: Are the Deals Real?

Some bargains are better than others.

Signs of sales are everywhere. Shopping malls are opening earlier than ever - turning Black Friday into Black Thursday.

"We'll be open at 6 p.m. Thursday until 10 p.m. Friday night, so it's 28 hours of continuous shopping," Joellyn Fellmeth said, Director of Marketing at Sawgrass Mills.

NBC 6 walked the mall with thousands of others looking for deals, but are they really there? Expert Natalie McNeal, also known as the "Frugalista" said, not always.

"Black Friday is okay if you want to do it, but I don't think you should get into fights or lose your life or limb over trying to get a discount," McNeal said.

One mom, who wants to buy a swing set for her son, agreed.

"It's expensive now," Ashley Escalante said. "They raised it a couple hundred dollars, when a month ago, it was 200 bucks."

At Target, a mixer is going for $199 Friday, but earlier this month, it was $15 cheaper.

But there is some good news. You can get a bargain. Some stores offer a once a year deal. At Walmart, you only have an hour to save on some electronics. But for those, you need to be prepared and be there first - maybe even spending the night outside or hitting the stores right after Thanksgiving dinner.

Sometimes, a bigger bargain can be found online. Also, don't forget to use your apps - like a barcode scanner that can find you that item at the cheapest price.

Still, no matter what deal, the day will live up to its name with retailers moving out of the red and into the black.

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