The only thing more exciting than becoming comatose after an absurdly large turkey meal on Thanksgiving is rallying at 4 a.m. Friday to stand in line outside your favorite department store. After all, isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about: being grateful for our stomach capacity and saving money? If so, you’re going to need to strategize — not only in terms of how you’re going to get that extra helping of pie without needing to cut the elastic on your stretchy pants, but also how you’re going to game the capitalist system and make the most out of your shopping extravaganza.

As it turns out, there’s a method to the madness of those people willing to brave the dark and cold of the wee hours of the morning. They know that few people are insane enough to join them in stores before the light of day, and that the early bird really does get the worm. So in order to beat the traffic, consider an early morning trip, or better yet, a late-afternoon or even evening jaunt around the mall.