Black Friday: 7 Tips to Shopping Smarter
Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year. If you are not strategic with your planning, the day can
quickly become very stressful. Take the following seven tips to ensure that you have a successful day of shopping.
1. Make a list and stick with it. It's easy to get so excited about the sales that you don't think straight. Make a list of the items that you want to get and resist the urge to pick up anything that you don't really need simply because it is on sale.
2. Do your research. Start early, and research both retail and online deals. Many stores start offering great sales as early as the beginning of November. Continue to look for deals on a regular basis as they come and go every day. You don't want to miss out on any great offers.
3. Look for bonus discounts. For example, a store may give gift cards worth up to $200 to the first 100 customers in line. Typically these deals are advertised well ahead of time. Determine which ones you want to hit, and plan your Black Friday schedule around them.
4. Keep your receipts. Save your receipts in case of returns as well as chances to take advantage of a price matching guarantees. Use an app to snap pictures of your receipts with your smartphone. When you save receipts this way, you don't have to worry about holding onto a messy pile of paper.
5. Split up the shopping with family members and/or friends. If you want to hit multiple stores, divide the duties among several people and then meet up afterward.
6. Don't assume that all doorbusters are deals. More often than not, these “deals” are for off-brand models with specs that are below the norm for a standard manufacturer.
7. Don't forget about Cyber Monday. If you aren't able to get to all of the Black Friday deals on your list or are still looking for deals once the big day is over, make sure to check out the online sales on the Monday following Black Friday.
quickly become very stressful. Take the following seven tips to ensure that you have a successful day of shopping.
1. Make a list and stick with it. It's easy to get so excited about the sales that you don't think straight. Make a list of the items that you want to get and resist the urge to pick up anything that you don't really need simply because it is on sale.
2. Do your research. Start early, and research both retail and online deals. Many stores start offering great sales as early as the beginning of November. Continue to look for deals on a regular basis as they come and go every day. You don't want to miss out on any great offers.
3. Look for bonus discounts. For example, a store may give gift cards worth up to $200 to the first 100 customers in line. Typically these deals are advertised well ahead of time. Determine which ones you want to hit, and plan your Black Friday schedule around them.
4. Keep your receipts. Save your receipts in case of returns as well as chances to take advantage of a price matching guarantees. Use an app to snap pictures of your receipts with your smartphone. When you save receipts this way, you don't have to worry about holding onto a messy pile of paper.
5. Split up the shopping with family members and/or friends. If you want to hit multiple stores, divide the duties among several people and then meet up afterward.
6. Don't assume that all doorbusters are deals. More often than not, these “deals” are for off-brand models with specs that are below the norm for a standard manufacturer.
7. Don't forget about Cyber Monday. If you aren't able to get to all of the Black Friday deals on your list or are still looking for deals once the big day is over, make sure to check out the online sales on the Monday following Black Friday.
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