How to Shop and Save on Black Friday
By: Deirdre Uria
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Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the beginning of the Christmas shopping season, can be thrilling and stressful all at the same time.
With stores offering drastically marked-down prices on in-demand items on Black Friday, Thanksgiving day sales bring big crowds and long lines are to be expected.
To successfully make it through the mall without being pummeled by other moms looking for a good deal, we have some tips and tricks to make your holiday shopping spree a little easier:
Weeks Before Black Friday :
• Make a list of the must-have products that you are shopping for this holiday season, including the names of the people for whom you are shopping. This will make your day more organized, and will reduce the number of unnecessary purchases that you make.
• Sign up for store e-mail updates so that you will be among the first to know what will be on sale.
• Print out any online coupons you may have.
• Sign up for free store club cards that offer discounts or coupons. Stores like Borders and Barnes & Noble offer such programs.
• Determine whether shopping in your area is the best way to spend as little money as possible. Perhaps shopping in a tax-free state, such as NJ, is a better idea.
• Consider outlet shopping.
The Day Before Black Friday:
• Eat a lot of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. This will not help your shopping, per se, but will make you feel happy and satisfied.
• Get a good’s night sleep the night before -- thanks to all that food in your belly it shouldn’t be too hard to fall asleep.
The Day Of Thanksgiving Day Sales:
• Know exactly the time that the stores you want to hit are open, and go to the store that has the best deals, and/or the gift you want to get the most first. Be there at least a half-hour before it opens if the gift is popular.
• Leave the kids at home; this is not a day to worry about hand-holding and good behavior.
• Be caffeinated and full – don’t shop on low energy and an empty stomach.
• Pack snacks so that you don’t have to stop your marathon shopping day to grab some grub from the food court.
• Bring along a MP3 player or portable CD player to help pass the time when you are waiting to pay for your finds.
• Don’t worry about purchasing little gifts today, such as stocking stuffers, but rather focus on gifts that are bigger, harder to find, and more expensive.
• Consider this a good day to look for that new winter coat or little black dress you need. Clothing sales are usually very good on Black Friday, because so many people are already in the stores looking for toys and gifts.
• If a product is not available, but the store offers a rain check, take it. Make sure that when you cash in your rain check you are getting the price that the product was listed at for that day.
A Few Days After Black Friday Sales:
• Cyber Monday, the Monday immediately following Black Friday, is a busy day for online retailers who offer special deals, products, and discounts. FYI, the term was coined by Shop.org in 2005.
• If you didn’t get all of the products off of your list while shopping at those after-Thanksgiving sales, log on first thing Monday morning and see what you can find.
• Visit retailmenot.com for online coupons, including offers for free shipping and 15% off discounts from certain retailers.
• Know the online retailers return policy, shipping information, and payment procedure so that you are not worrying about any of those details before you purchase the item.
• Do a little research among retailers, and don’t just settle for the first good price that you see on that must-have product.
• Calculate shipping and other online fees before determining whether you are getting a fair deal.
