Sniff out the best deals in advance of Black Friday, the craziest shopping day of the year! It helps to know from the get-go that retailers want you to know about their top deals NOW. So take advantage: plan out your Black Friday shopping strategy ... by going online.

Black Friday ads are all over the Internet, with most major chains' best deals now freely available for viewing with a quick search. Target's plan to offer doorbusters of $3 toasters and coffee machines, for example, has attracted tons of buzz on the Web. Sites devoted to Black Friday deals are gold mines of information. Black Friday Ads and Black Friday.info, for example, are good places to start.

The word this year is that prices will be rock bottom as retailers fight to win customers. On the other hand, it's also being reported that store inventories will be relatively low, too. That's because retailers are being cautious in the face of consumer spending cutbacks. The bottom line? Be in early to get those must-have items.

But note: for 2009's Black Friday, "early" might not necessarily mean waiting in line for stores to open at 5am. Retail analysts are reporting that stores will be offering great sales in the days leading up to Black Friday instead of saving those lowest-of-low prices exclusively for the big day.

With lower prices being spread over a longer time-frame – both in brick and mortar stores and online – maybe you won't need to stand in line on Black Friday itself. Great news if, like me, you love a great deal yet hate huge holiday crowds!

Planning to join the pre-dawn doorbuster stampede anyway? Tips on everything from avoiding long checkout lines to knowing your shoppers' rights can be found online. Just hit your Google toolbar and start searching.