The madness has begun. One man was shot when he refused to give up his wallet while standing in line to buy the new Sony PlayStation 3. Other shoppers across the country were crushed in the rush to buy the video game console that Sony shipped in limited supply to stores last week.

And few days of the year offer a better picture of that rowdiness than Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

I want no part of a mall or any retail store from Thanksgiving Day to the Sunday afterward. But if Black Friday excites you, here are a few things you should know:

¢ The best bargains aren’t necessarily on Black Friday. Retailers heavily market the day after Thanksgiving as the time to get the best sales. Black Friday is frequently referred to as the busiest shopping day of the year.

But it isn’t.

The busiest day is either Christmas Eve or the Saturday before Christmas. You have 31 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas to shop. The discounts aren’t going anywhere.

¢ The early bird doesn’t always get the worm. Many stores offering deeply discounted items have only a limited number of those items on hand. So many shoppers go home frustrated. But the retailers still win. Shoppers likely will buy something even if they don’t find what they got up so early to purchase.

¢ That 10 percent discount can cost you. Retailers want shoppers to sign up for their store credit card, often offering a 10 percent discount on that day’s purchase or purchases. But don’t do it. Interest charges on those purchases can negate any initial discount.

¢ No-interest/no-payment-for-six-months-or-a-year deals. Only the most disciplined of consumers should take advantage of these schemes. If you are just one day late in paying off the balance as part of a no-interest/no-payment offer, you will be hit with back interest, which is typically 18 percent to 20 percent or more.

On Thanksgiving, some stores don’t think customers can wait for sunrise to shop on the Friday after Thanksgiving, so their doors will be unlocked at midnight.

Perhaps, retailers should have sleepovers. Sections of the store could be redesigned with private rooms with nice comfy beds and showers so their customers won’t even have to go home.

Think I’m mad? It’s only a matter of time.