Black Friday – the day after Thanksgiving — is a great day for small businesses to find deals on office supplies and other material, said Rhonda Abrams in a USAToday column

Abrams gives these suggestions for successful small business Black Friday shopping:

1. Make a list of stuff you really need. Don’t buy just because something’s cheap.

2. Check to see which version of Windows 7 you need. If you have a server you’ll need at least the Pro or Ultimate edition. Upgrades are very expensive so buy the right one.

3. Before Friday, find out whether Windows 7 will work with your current software and peripherals before you buy. Otherwise, things can get really costly.

4. Shop online. Many retailers and even manufacturers are offering deals online beginning as early as midnight Friday morning. You may find the best stuff for small businesses — higher levels of Windows 7 for example — online.

5. Apply for your rebates. Make copies of everything and send rebates out immediately.

6. Check the office stores. They often have equipment more suited for business, rather than just consumer, use.

Especially good buys for small business on Black Friday include media — jump drives, CDs, DVDs, media cards. These can be dirt cheap. And you can find really good deals on smaller office equipment like surge protectors, scanners and label makers.

Microsoft Corp.’s stock soared 10 percent on Friday, as the company’s earnings report defied analysts’ predictions. Amazon’s stock jumped 20 percent Friday, after the company reported a 69 percent profit surge the day before.

Strong sales of Amazon’s Kindle e-reader accounted for the growth, said CNNMoney.com. The company cut the price of the Kindle to $259 from $279 this week.

Microsoft saw its first-quarter net sales decline 18 percent to $3.6 billion, but Wall Street expected the decline to be much larger, said CNNMoney.com.

Cost-cutting measures helped drive profit gains in several of Microsoft’s divisions. The software giant also announced this week the launch of its new operating system, Windows 7, which the company predicts will be a hit, said CNNMoney.com.