You can get millions of free cookies and cups of coffee at Walmart this Thanksgiving

If you're not a fan of internet shopping and you're thinking about picking up some new threads, new gadgets or kitchenware at ridiculously discounted prices, then you could do a lot worse than heading to Walmart on Black Friday. Provided you can keep your cool and be ruthless in the tsunami of desperation that is a mob of people who won't buy a toaster unless it's 20 percent off, there's plenty a deal to be had.

But while you're thinking about camping outside of a Walmart at some ungodly hour in the cold just so you can get all those Christmas gifts well in advance, it might be worth taking things back about 12 hours, and getting to Walmart on Thanksgiving instead. That is, assuming you can peel yourself away from your family.

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This year, Walmart are actually starting their Black Friday deals the day before. If you're looking for a television, a laptop or even something a basketball hoop, then it might be worth telling your kids that you've popped out for some milk or something.

"We look forward to it all year," said Walmart US' chief merchandising officer Steve Bratspies of the Black Friday Thanksgiving sale, while he was on a call with gathered reporters.

"We expect it to be a good event, like it has been in past years. The season has been stretched out a bit, but we don't think that will take any of the wind out of our sails. We just want customers to choose Walmart and we're agnostic about what channel they use."

But this year, to get customers extra hyped, Bratspies also revealed Walmart's plans for a huge party beforehand.  "We're throwing a big party before the event begins," he explained, and at this event, customers at Walmart will be able to enjoy free cookies from the store's bakery, as well as cups of free Keurig coffee.

That'll be from 4pm to 6pm local time on Thanksgiving, so if you feel like free coffee but not much like shopping that day, then why not pick up a hot cup of joe before you head home to your family for Thanksgiving dinner? But for those of you with an eye for a bargain and a need for speed, then Walmart's introducing a couple of new things to help with the Black Friday rush.

While we can't do anything about people engaging in Mortal Kombat over the last copy of the latest Mortal Kombat Playstation game, Walmart have a couple of new developments to make the whole Black Friday process a little smoother.

Shoppers will be given colour-coded maps, complete with pins depicting the best deals, and to minimise long lines, there'll be associates kitted out with yellow sashes, that can check people out where they stand without needing to go to a till. It's looking like Walmart might be the place to be come this Thanksgiving. Y'know, apart from with your family.