Students look forward to Black Friday because their money lasts longer and they can buy more of the computers and electronics about which they have been dreaming. The sales Black Friday engenders are not only important for students, on good years they can boost the U.S. economy. Market research estimates 2010 Black Friday volume at about $11.7 billion. Parents love to bestow Black Friday gifts on their children in college since the kids often cannot afford to shop for themselves. And merchants count on stupendous Black Friday discounts to fire up long-deferred demand.

If you asked students what they desired most on Black Friday, computers would be at the top of the list. It is quite hard for today’s undergraduate to function without a computer. For students planning the purchase of a laptop, Black Friday is a wonderful time to shop, as prices are at their lowest level for the year. Students lucky enough to already have a computer may instead want on Black Friday flat screen TVs or replacement computer monitors. Antique cathode ray tube televisions don’t provide high-def pictures, while flat screens TV's do without wasting a lot of the tiny space available in dormitory rooms.

The primary Black Friday shopping tip for college students is: to end up with precisely the item you desire, arrive at stores at least 24 hours before the sale begins. Maybe it is the makeup of college students to find adventure in camping out at an electronics store until the doors open at, say, 4 am. Remember, this is after the annual gut-stuffing pig-out known as Thanksgiving. It is no doubt uncomfortable for students to wait around outside, perhaps in bad weather, while slowly digesting 7000 calories of turkey and fixings. But merchants are certain that, on Black Friday, if prices are low enough, they will come.