This year, Christmas shopping mayhem isn't likely to be concentrated solely on the Day after Thanksgiving.

Some retail chains have decided to begin sales on Thanksgiving to be more competitive, while others have extended sales into Saturday. Regardless of whether you venture out on or around Black Friday, it is likely to be a tumultuous affair of shopping carts, coupons, sale queues, and harried customers.

With the following list of store openings and their expected sales, hopefully you can work some order into all of the confusion that is Black Friday.

Chain Stores

Home Depot:

Sale Hours: Beginning at 5:00 a.m.

Hot Items:

7 foot LED or pre-lit Christmas tree-$49 (a savings of $50)

Dremel Multi-Max Tool Kit, Makita 18-volt lithium-ion driver drill-$99

Maytag Centennial 3.2 cubic foot washer and 7.0 cubic foot dryer-$249 each

Other sale items include a variety of tools priced down to $10 and $20, fresh-cut Christmas trees starting at $18.95, and markdowns on Christmas lights and decorations.

Sears:

Sale Hours: 4:00 a.m.-Noon

Hot Items:

4.0 cubic feet Kenmore Washer and 7.3 cubic feet dryer-$599.98

40" Samsung 1080p, 60Hz LCD HDTV-$497.99

KitchenAid 4.5 quart stand mixer-$149.99 (after $50 mail-in rebate)

Other big sales include price reductions on jewelry, hardware, and 25% off all Kenmore Elite products.

Staples:

Sale Hours: 6:00 a.m.-Noon

Hot Items:

HP 14.5" laptop with AMD II Dual-Core p340 processor-$399.98

HP Slimline desktop with AMD Athion 250 Dual-Core processor-$2.99.98

Other sale items include external hard drives, 30% off of regularly-priced lamps, chairs, and office furniture, and a wide range of inkjet and laser printers  

Walmart:

Sale Hours: 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (or while supplies last)

Hot items:

eMachines 15.6" laptop retailing at $198

Magnavox Wi-Fi, Blu-Ray Disc player-$69

Emerson 32" LCD TV-$198

Other big sales include discounts on video games, digital cameras, Blu-Ray Discs, and computing accessories.

Locally owned stores

Mahoney's:

Mahoney's is offering discounts as part of its fall sale period.

Magic Brush Pottery:

The shop at 361 Main Street in Tewksbury is offering 10% off of all orders and gift cards on Black Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Restaurants

Friendly's:

Friendly's Restaurant is offering buy one, get one breakfasts from 5:30 am until 9:00 a.m. on Black Friday. Consider stopping and taking advantage of this sale, especially when your energy is depleted from hunting for all of the great deals.

Black Friday can be a confusing, high-energy experience. Plan your day according to what sales you want to take advantange of, and what stores you want to visit, and hopefully you can lessen the sting of waking up early, waiting in line, and fighting for the last of the season's hot items.