One-stop shopping on Black Friday?

Shopping on the day after Thanksgiving -- there has to be a better way. The long lines to park, buy, pay, leave the lot and ... remind me again why we do this? Oh, yeah, the power, the freedom, the anticipation and the price.

Frugalistas, might I suggest taking advantage of stores' price-matching policies instead? What a huge time-saver it would be if we could go to just one or two stores instead of six or seven; if all we do is collect the ads of the best deals from Thursday's paper and go to the few big-box retailers that match or even outdo competitors' prices.

Let me be truthful here. This idea might crash and burn. I'm not guaranteeing anything. Several of you e-mailed or called me last month, complaining that Aldi did not reduce its price on candy before Halloween after I wrote that it might. So be prepared for disappointment. But to show you that I'm willing to take a risk myself, I will try this idea and blog about it by midmorning -- after I kick the 10-year-old girl's butt who wants the $139 8-gig iPod Nano as much as I do.

I got the idea when a reader told me that she typically shops at Wal-Mart on Black Friday, because it will match all competitors' ad prices. I called Wal-Mart PR to verify that they would honor those prices, which they will, including the door busters from 6 to 8 a.m., for example, or the "limited quantities" found in so many ads.

What could possibly go wrong? Let me count the ways. Retailers emphasize that the price-matched item must be identical. The 32-inch Westinghouse LCD TV in Target's Black Friday ad for $246 doesn't list a model number. If I try to have Wal-Mart match it and the cashier doesn't think it looks like the same item, I might have wasted my time. (Many websites now post retailers' Black Friday ads in advance, including www.bfads.net.)

Earlier this year, Target brought back its price-matching policy, but with more restrictions than Wal-Mart. Target will not match door busters, limited-time or quantity offers or coupon items, although most other items are matchable, said spokeswoman Sonja Pothen.

Other retailers are probably not going to be as hassle-free at matching as is Wal-Mart, but several big-box hardware stores are sticking to their price guarantees. PR reps from Home Depot, Menards and Lowe's all said their stores will match competitors' ad prices on identical items, including limited-time offers. The problem with hardware stores and other retailers is that many items, especially appliances or electronics, have model numbers that are exclusive to one retailer. Unless the model numbers are identical, most stores aren't going to match.

There is another way to avoid the Black Friday rush, said Michael Brim, founder of the Black Friday website Bfads.net. Brim checks out the Black Friday ads in advance and then goes to the retailer and buys the item at regular price before Thanksgiving. On Black Friday he strolls in before the early-bird special expires, goes to guest services, and asks the store to honor their seven- or 30-day price guarantee.

Unfortunately, he said, most retailers won't honor that anymore, including an electronics retailer that avoids such matches by closing its guest services department on Black Friday.

Brim says that price-matching or price guarantees are a crapshoot at nearly any store. Success often depends on the whims of a cashier.

"A retailer may say we only price-match if the competitor has the item in stock, but what are the chances of getting anyone to check stock on one of the busiest shopping days of the year?" he asked.

One Office Depot manager whom I spoke to said that if an item is on sale at a competitor from 8 to 10 a.m., she would assume the item was out of stock at the competitor by 8:05 a.m. and would not price-match after that. See what Black Friday mavericks are up against?

For the foolhardy souls who want to give this a try, remember to bring in the entire ad for a competitor's match. And save yourself some time by checking today or tomorrow to see if the competitor even has the exact item. If you're feeling lucky, you might want to follow Brim's tip and buy the item in advance and then ask for a price adjustment on Black Friday.

About that 10-year-old girl. I think I'll order my 8-gig Nano refurbished for $99 at www.store.apple.com. Knock yourself out for $139, Brittany.

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633 or jewoldt@startribune.com. If you spot a deal, share it at www.startribune.com/blogs/dealspotter.