I start early and find I get some pretty good deals in the process. Like even now, I am hunting around.
First, make a list on what you want - then I look for the best deals.
For electronics, I found out that Target, Best Buy had some awesome deals before hand, and I got them with even or better pricing than on Black Friday. The evening before Thanksgiving, a lot of sites put out their deals, and I buy what I want (keep to your list). I got great deals with no shipping charges at all, and then watched a ton of people go to the stores to fight it out for a few things.