FROM ANOTHER SITE:
BRING FRIENDS, this might be the most important part of all, the more people you have, the better the chance of being able to obtain the item, it makes waiting a lot more fun and passes the time faster
-Bring FOOD, bring food that you can eat because you will get hungry, don't bring things you have to cook unless you do the Black Friday BBQ thing, those are actually quite fun... but for most people you should be bringing snack type foods (also make sure it isn't food that might make you want to go to the restroom... you don't really want to go take a dump)
-KNOW YOUR LOCATION, it's good to go to the store before the sale, probably good to go days before to see where everything is located, yes it might be different on the actual day of the sale but still, it's good to know where things are... however big items are usually held on vouchers so if you aim for big items this isn't necessary
-Like what everyone else said, PRINT OUT YOUR ADS, list the things you want to buy, circle them, if you are reading this then you probably already know how to do your research and find ads ahead of time
-Wear something WARM... you know where you live, and you know how cold it can get... I brought two jackets and I still wasn't warm. Bring a tent if you want to or plan to sleep... this isn't just for the good deals, this is a very fun experience
-Activities... last year we brought cards and played Hold'em and we got known as the gambling group... it is good to be KNOWN because hours before opening... people will start coming and the more people there are they will indeed start cutting, if you know who is around you... you reduce people that cut
-BEFRIEND THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU... this is a very good idea because if they are nice and you need to take a potty break... they will save your spot in line and they help make your experience better
-Protect your belongings, people aren't always nice and you have a great possibility of getting things stolen from you
-Bring a big car, it can help store the things you need, or bring tents and more things... you know what I mean
After you get into the store
-Have one person grab the cart and follow you as fast as possible, go to the items you want most first because those are probably the items that other people also want
-Again, knowing where the items are works
-Run if possible, just move as fast as you can, don't be afraid to get a little ugly... don't let people dominate over you
These are pretty much the basic things you need to know but I've seen a lot of people listing times like go hours before... know how competitive the people in you location are...
I went to BestBuy ThanksGiving morning at around 6:00AM... yes 23ish hours of waiting it out and guess what... we weren't first, not even 2nd, 3rd or 4th... we were 8th in line. This is Southern California by the way but if you really want something, then plan to go earlier than you had already planned, then the day before... plan to go earlier than the that.