I know some of you may not be Black Friday shoppers, which is why we have Cyber Monday! HOWEVER, if you ARE a Black Friday shopper, we want you to be prepared! This year will be my fourth Black Friday ALL DAY extravaganza, and I have learned MUCH about scoring hot, cheap deals! Here are some of my best tips for you! Also, make sure you read our article on 10 Tips to Save on Your Thanksgiving Meal!!
1. KNOW what you plan on buying ahead of time. Research our Holiday Shopping section with the leaked ads, so you know where to find the products you want at the best prices!
2. KNOW you’re store! Know the hours, know their coupon policy, and know when your particular item is going to be on sale. Some items are doorbusters, while others are all day. Right now, Walmart has maps you can look at on their Facebook page that show you the layout of the displays. It definitely helps to know where your particular item is going to be located. My mom and I actually went to Walmart on Thanksgiving evening last year and scoped out the items through the bubble wrap! That way when she and my husband got there at midnight (I have 5a.m. Staples duty), they knew exactly where to go to get the wii games we wanted!
3. Try not to take too much stuff. The first year I wore a coat and scarf, and took along my hot tea- BIG MISTAKE!! You’re going to be hot from moving so much, so dress somewhat lightly. I also keep my debit card in my pocket so I don’t have to take a pocketbook. The more you take, the more you’re going to be slowed down!
4. Keep your coupons/flyers organized. There is nothing more frustrating than losing your coupons or flyers that day. Try to stay as organized as you can, but not too bulky, so you don’t have to lug a bunch of stuff through the store.
5. Research ahead of time! That morning is NOT the time to make sure the laptop you are buying has all the specs you want. This year I am purchasing a laptop, and I ALREADY know exactly which laptop from which store. This also helps you maximize your time so you can to as many stores as you plan to visit. ALSO, I can’t emphasize enough to know the specs on items. Sometimes, Black Friday products have a different level of quality or are made by an off brand. For example, digital photo frames are WAY less expensive, but they may be made by a brand you have never heard of before. I lucked out a few times with this, but my dad had to return a TV once, because of a quality issue. Decide what you can/can’t live with.
6. Carry tape in your car. This is so you can tape receipts to packages as you go throughout the day. This elminates scrambling to find receipts for returns. Last year my husband bought a video game for the wrong game system! Thank goodness we had taped receipts to our products, so we didn’t have any problems getting our money back@!
7. Decide if you want to go with other people or if you want to go solo. To be honest, it’s much easier for me to go solo. I move fast, and I try to get to many stores in a short amount of time. This isn’t the time to be strolling along with my mom. We reserve that for less stressful Saturdays! LOL However, if you’re going to be purchasing a lot of items from one store, it does help to take one person and have them stay with the cart. So, you will have to weigh the pros/cons of taking someone with you.
8. Do double duty. My family did this last year. If you have varied times for your select stores, you may not want to stay up all night. So, it helps to have someone to the “late” shift, while you take the early shift, or vice versa. We did this last year, and it worked well, because we hit many stores and were able to get a TON of gifts for my family VERY cheap. However, this year, my family has to work, so I’ll be flying solo!
9. Expect people to be rude at times. People are sleep deprived and cranky at times on this day. That’s why I keep to myself and don’t talk a lot. I’m not looking to make a ton of friends. If you live in a town like ours, you will see people you know, but I don’t take time to talk to much, so I give a friendly smile and wave!
10. HAVE FUN and SAVE!!!! This is a time for you to save money, and while you want to make it as fun as possible, remember, you’re trying to get a GREAT price!
*Make sure to keep ALL receipts and be aware of return deadlines! My father-in-law’s NEW television went out after two months! They were able to get a replacement because they kept their receipts!!!
This google spreadsheet says 2011, do you have 2012?