BOSTON -- Black Friday is just days away, and retailers are jamming the airwaves and print with deals, promotions and special store hours.

How do you keep track of it all? We have you covered, with NewsCenter 5's ultimate guide to Black Friday. Look below for helpful information ahead of the early morning rush, and a breakdown of the deals being offered by some of the biggest stores.

Social media is making it easier for stores to reach repeat customers.

Video: Make Most Of Black Friday Sales

Retailers are sending tweets via Twitter, Facebook messages and mobile alerts to highlight special savings ahead of the big day. It’s all in the hopes of building enough hype around their deals to get customers into the stores early, and stay well into the afternoon.

J.C. Penney is even running a celebrity wakeup campaign. Customers can enter their phone number into the company's Web site and schedule a pre-recorded message from Cindy Crawford, Rascal Flatts or Kimora Lee Simmons to call them on Friday.

Retailers are also weary of customers using more credit card discipline, due to higher interest rates, and staying away because many popular holiday items are out of their price range. To fix that problem, stores like Sears and Kmart, among others, are offering layaway options that allow customers to put an item on reserve and pay for it in installments.

Crowd control and safety will be a large concern for all stores. After last year's tragic trampling death at a Long Island Walmart, the company completely revamped its crowd control procedure, a spokesman said.

Walmart went to sports and entertainment experts to help them devise a plan that will keep people orderly as they head through the doors, a company spokesman said. This year, partitions will be used to create a line at most stores so that customers will enter Walmarts in a single file line, according to the company.

Best Buy has issued a ticket system to slow the morning rush.

Customers will need a ticket for the items they are looking to purchase. There will be tickets available for all limited quantity products, and customers can have a ticket for multiple products as long as tickets are still available.

Store employees will start handing out the tickets as early as two hours before Best Buy opens on Friday. There will also be a purchase deadline stamped on the ticket requiring customers to buy the product on it by the deadline to keep store crowds down.

As always, there will be competitive price wars between the major retailers to try and draw traffic to their stores.

All major electronics sellers are offering discounts on HDTVs totaling hundreds of dollars, trying to keep their TVs between $400-800. They're also offering equally big discounts on laptops and home entertainment systems.

Amazon and Barnes & Noble are in a unique competition over their respective electronic book readers. Amazon is offering its Kindle for $259. Barnes & Noble is offering Nook for the same price, but there's a catch -- it's already on back order and won't be available until 2010.

The battle for online sales will be just as competitive as in store purchases with industry standard Amazon competing with Walmart, Target, Overstock.com and people willing to buy used for cheap on eBay.

Online shopping deals will be available through Cyber Monday (the first Monday after Thanksgiving).

Each online retailer is trying to drive sales with their own free shipping offer for select purchases or after a certain dollar value has been reached.

Below is a list of the major retailers and the deals they're offering for Black Friday:

Amazon

Store Opens: Online 24-7

Deals: DVDs / CDs under $10, electronics 40 to 50 percent off, heavy discounts on toys and games, books heavily discounted (including bestsellers) in the Bargain Books Section.

More: Offering a Twitter feed that sends newest deals to followers the second they post on the Web site. Black Friday deals have already begun and continue through Cyber Monday.

Apple

Store Opens: Online Promotion Only

Deals: iPods, iPhones and other popular Apple products heavily discounted (exact discounts not available). Free shipping offered on purchases over $50.

Barnes & Noble

Store Opens: 9 a.m.

Deals: Will heavily promote Nook (despite its unavailability until 2010). Savings up to 50 percent on best sellers and favorite books. New holiday CDs up to 45 percent off. Half off DVD box sets.

Best Buy

Store Opens: 5 a.m.

Deals: Advertised prices available with product tickets distributed as early as 3 a.m. $700 – $1,000 savings on major electronics. Video games for Playstation and Xbox for $35. Free phones with activation plans on select carriers. Cameras under $50. DVDs for $10.

Gap / Old Navy

Store Opens: Old Navy at 3 a.m., Gap at 7 a.m.

Gap Deals: Buy one get one free on adult sweaters, kids or babies fleece and pajama pants. Fifteen percent off a $75 purchase, 25 percent off $100 purchases. Free shipping on online orders over $50 if you're willing to wait 8-10 days. $7 shipping fee for standard business shipping.

Old Navy Deals: Four gift price categories between $5 - $20. Adult sweaters, all jeans and kids frost free jackets for $15. Fifty percent off all outerwear. Free shipping on online orders over $50 if you're willing to wait 8-10 days. $7 shipping fee for standard business shipping.

J.C. Penney

Store Opens: 4 a.m.

Deals: Half off men's, women's and children's clothes. Fifty to 60 percent off home good products. Fifty to 70 percent off jewelry.

Kmart

Store Opens: Select Kmart stores will be open Thanksgiving Day 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. to give eager shoppers the opportunity to beat the Friday rush. Stores not open Thursday will offer special deals on Wednesday. Open Friday starting at 6 a.m.

Deals: The company's famous Blue Light Specials will be announced in store throughout the day on Friday. Layaway available.

Macys

Store Opens: 5 a.m.

Deals: Two day specials prior to Thanksgiving. WOW! Pass coupons give customers an extra 20 percent off individual items. Fifteen to 20 percent off purchases made with a Macy's credit card. Free shipping after $99 in online purchases and use of a promotion code.

Sears

Store Opens: 4 a.m.

Deals: Doorbusters from 4 a.m. to noon. Thirty percent off toys and games. Fifteen percent off all appliances (includes free delivery offer). Ten percent off select electronics.

More: Offering layaway both in store and online. ShopYourWay allows customers to purchase in store, over the phone, complete mobile shopping, purchase something online to pick up in the store and order installation.

Target

Store Opens: 5 a.m.

Deals: Two day sale begins before Black Friday. Major electronics $400 - $700. Playstation and Xbox video games starting at $44. Toys between $10 - $30. DVDs and CDs for $10 - $15. Marked down clothes. Kitchen items as low as $3. Free online shipping on select purchases over $50.

Toys R Us

Store Opens: Midnight

Deals: Daily coupons for discounts on highlighted items. Buy one, get one half off on select Nintendo and Playstation video games. 70 doorbuster deals from midnight to 1 p.m., with 50 toys and games added starting at 5 a.m. Free online shipping for select products on purchases over $49.

More: Toys R Us claims to have stocked tens of thousands of the highly sought-after Zhu Zhu Hamsters, which has become one of this year's most popular toys.

Walmart

Store Opens: Sale starts at 5 a.m. (most stores open 24 hours)

Deals: HDTVs between $400 and $900. Popular toys and games between $5 and $30. Children's clothes $3 - $15. Winter coats for as low as $7. Appliances and kitchen items for as little as $4. Shipping on online purchase for $1.

More: Walmart sends out e-mail alerts and Twitter and Facebook posts when new deals are added.

Where else can you go to find coupons, weekly ads and sales being offered from other stores? Try these links:

BlackFriday.info

Cybermonday.com

Black-Friday.net

TheBlackFriday.com