Black Friday: Five Things You Need to Know

It's Black Friday -- the day after Thanksgiving and the busiest shopping day of the year. Here are five things you need to know.

1. You don't need to go to the big box stores or the malls. You can stay local and shop local. Here is a partial list of some going on in North Andover today.

2. Traffic will be intense, especially on Route 114 near the North Andover Mall. Be prepared for slow, possibly stopped, traffic for miles and watch out for the road rage. Check with our traffic map on the homepage before you go.

3. Pace yourself. Many local stores are having their Black Friday deals all day, so stop and grab lunch at a local restaurant halfway through.

4. If you do decide to head to the malls out of town, be prepared for massive traffic jams on the highways and interstate. Plan to go very early and wait in traffic for a while.

5. Supermarkets will be busy too, with people picking up groceries they forgot to grab h=before Thanksgiving.