Ames Patch's Guide to Best Black Friday Deals

Black Friday, the shopping holiday that brings corporate stores into the black starts even earlier this year, just hours after you have feasted on your turkey or tofurkey dinners.

Target, Sears and Walmart start their sales at about 8 p.m. Target opens at 9 p.m.

Despite the extended hours, less shoppers said they will participate according to the latest survey from the National Retail Federation. It expects as many as 147 million people will go shopping this holiday weekend, a decrease from the 152 million who planned to shop during Black Friday in 2011.

Here in Ames in addition to early sales at Target and Walmart, people will also be able to shop early at North Grand Mall.

Select shops in the mall will open at midnight or 12 a.m. Friday. Customers can enter to win a red bag stuffed with prizes worth $500. A total of 22 winners will be selected.

Downtown shops comprising the Mainstreet Cultural District don't have any Black Friday sales planned, but most will be open during regular business hours on Friday.

People looking to scope out the best details will find many retailer advertisements on BFAds.net, a website devoted to Black Friday advertising circulars.

Kmart: Open at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Preview the Thanksgiving specials. Then open at 5 a.m. Friday. Preview the Black Friday deals. (Some Kmarts are also open 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and reopen again at 8 p.m.)

Walmart: Black Friday starts at 8 p.m on Thanksgiving in both Ames Walmart locations. Preview thedeals.

Target: Opens at 9 p.m. Thursday. Preview the deals.

Best Buy: Opens at midnight Thursday. Preview the deals.

Younkers: Opens at midnight Thursday. Preview the deals.

JC Penney: Opens 6 a.m. Friday. Preview the deals.

A number of specials to be found at North Grand Mall are listed here.