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The popular image of Santa Claus as a jolly old man in a red suit with a hand-written list of toys he will hand out to children from his reindeer-drawn sleigh is not exactly how the gifts get under the tree.

In reality, it's a mother huddled tightly into her parka standing outside the local toy store at 4 a.m. Black Friday with an Excel spreadsheet and a stroller.

With the right strategy, shoppers can save hundreds of dollars and still get all the items kids and adults want, said Middletown resident Brandi Crim.

Crim and her best friend Mary Marsh have perfected their strategy for Black Friday shopping so well that they manage to hit at least eight stores and knock out all their gift needs before breakfast.

The secret? Good planning.

Each woman begins compiling lists for each store in October. They carry each other's list along with extra copies of the ad and split up inside to cover the most ground.

Knowing the "15,000 carts the store usually has at the front will be gone," Marsh said the two now bring strollers to tote around their purchases.

They show up about two to three hours before the doors open, and if the line is not too long, the women will wait in their car with their "kit" of ads, snacks, drinks and Tylenol "because it can be stressful," Crim said. But otherwise, they pull on their coat, gloves and scarves and wait.

Even after all the planning, Marsh said if they miss out on an item they're not upset.

"We've got to get done and get out of there because we've got another store to get to," she said.

"Know what's most important, but realize you get what you get and don't throw a fit," Crim said.

Hamilton resident Leslie Spangenberg said she has a similar philosophy.

"I know what I want beforehand so I don't go crazy over the deals," she said.

That's why she creates an Excel spreadsheet of the items she wants, the stores that carry it, and the price. If the item is listed on an inside ad page, she knows it will probably be available. If it's not, Spangenberg said she knows where else she can find it.

When buying for about 20 people with a budget of $1,000, she has to make every dollar count. That's why she gets e-alerts from Web sites such as bfads.net.

Often, she said Black Friday sales are available online for a limited time. Other times, a price may be cheaper on a store's Web site than in the store, as is a digital picture frame she plans to buy for $44.99 at Dell.com on Black Friday. Spangenberg said it's more than $30 cheaper than the in-store prices.