The Best Times To Shop On Black Friday, According To Google

So, you've decided to brave the frenzied masses of deal-seekers to shop it out the old-fashioned way this Black Friday. How to avoid peak chaos on the selling floor? You might want to go in the early morning or evening hours, according to Google. The tech giant used Google Maps data from last year's holiday shopping madness to suss out when there's maximum foot traffic at stores — 2 to 4 p.m. on Black Friday is the craziest time to scour the racks. Thanksgiving evening from 6 to 7 p.m. is another peak time for brick-and-mortar shopathons, as Business Insider points out, for those who like to follow up that third serving of pumpkin pie with some casual jostling among racks of clothes. If you're dead-set on chasing those discounts in the flesh amid minimal crowds (relatively speaking), just prepare to set your alarm for an ungodly hour. The quietest window of time on Black Friday is typically 6 to 8 a.m. for the mall-bound, based on the Google's findings. But the crack of dawn is best suited for the most hardcore, "doorbuster"-adoring among us. Of course, there's nothing wrong with sitting those shenanigans out to shop the bounty of online Black Friday sales in your pajamas — you'll have a tryptophan hangover to recover from, so take it easy.