The San Bruno Patch Guide to Black Friday at Tanforan: 2011 Edition

It's that time of the year again when all the retailers in America band together and try to get you to shop.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday. That also means that a number of stores will be offering the biggest and best deals of the year—a perfect reason to start your Christmas shopping early, right?

Because is one of the few malls in the immediate area, many people will likely make the San Bruno mall their destination for Black Friday shopping, which means there will probably be a lot more people there than usual.

Don't fret, though. San Bruno Patch has got you covered with the inside scoop on how to navigate your way through Black Friday at the mall.

Store Hours

The mall will open at 6 a.m. on Friday, but some of the chain stores have decided to open even earlier than the crack of dawn this year. will be open at midnight. and will be open at 4 a.m.

Deals, Deals and More Deals

As it does every year, the mall will be offering shoppers free stuff throughout the morning. If you spend $100 or more at select stores—besides Target, JCPenney or Sears—between 6 a.m. and noon, then you'll get a $15 gift check. Just present your mall receipts at the redemption area by Dressbarn on the upper level.

Also, if you stop by the 99.7 NOW tent from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., you'll get a free holiday mall gift bag and get a chance to enter to win concert tickets to see Pitbull, LMFAO and Selena Gomez on Dec. 13 ("Party rock is the house tonight...").

Contest

Last but not least, Tanforan is doing something different this year by offering one lucky shopper a VIP parking space on Friday. You can only enter to win the contest by going to the mall's Facebook page and you only have once more chance today to take advantage of the contest. The winner is expected to be announced Wednesday.

Also, if you're shopping outside of San Bruno, check out compiled by the Peninsula Patch sites.

Happy shopping!