Out of the 365 days in the year, getting a good deal means clipping coupons out of the Sunday paper and staying tuned in to those overplayed commercials advertising the latest sales. The savings are small, but every penny counts right? If you want a major deal, all hope lies in the biggest shopping day of the year.

Black Friday: the one day that prices are at their lowest, and it’s every man for himself, but the main question is, is it all worth it? Although it’s the best day for deals, there are many factors that can also make this the most challenging shopping day.

It all starts, with parking. You drive into the lot on a slow Sunday in April surrounded by an empty expanse of lines wondering “Why did they even put so many spaces if they’re never going to use them?” Flash forward to the day after Thanksgiving, and sea of cars packed side by side with no space in sight answers your question. You could be on the look out for a few minutes or an hour, and when you do find a spot, someone else is always there to fight for it.

Then the chaos begins. Depending on what you’re shopping for, it could be a long day to even get close to it. The problem with these sales is that there are always a limited amount of items being sold, so even if you’re the 15^th person in line entering the store, you could get shoved to the back once the doors open and be completely out of luck.

No matter what they say, everyone who doesn’t come with you is your enemy. Face it, they’re all after the same deals you are, meaning they’re going to want to play dirty if they want to secure their purchase. Yep, that means pushing, shoving and verbal threats are fair game.

You can never forget the strategists. It’s hard not to notice the group of over enthusiastic moms all standing in a huddle making a plan about who goes where and what to pick up and who’s going to hold who’s place in line. It’s literally the “Hunger Games” with those people, and it’s unfair. They have the advantage of a football team while some people are by themselves who now have to think of a way to bypass this horde.

It all seems a bit excessive just to save a few bucks on electronics. So the next time you see deals for Black Friday, will you venture out into the unknown jungle, or just wait for Cyber Monday?