Are you headed out for some Black Friday shopping this year? I have to admit, I am not going out this year. I prefer to stay at home in my jammies–that’s not to say that I don’t get the appeal, I really do. You can score some really amazing deals. So, if you are motivated enough to get out there, here’s some tips to make sure you save the most cash and the biggest stash {rhyming is fun}:
- Plan of attack. Thursday night after the festivities, grab the ads, a fourth piece of pie, and get a plan of attack. Compare the best deals. If some deals you want are only available early in the morning, plan to make those your first stop.
- If you plan on buying a big ticket item, research a little before hand. Check out reviews on the internet. Check out prices for that matter. It may not be the “score” you think it is–or it might actually be worth bundling up and standing in line.
- Don’t forget about online deals. Most stores offer “Black Friday” deals online that you can pick up at the store later–like after the crowds have died down and you’ve had coffee.
- Bring the ads with you. Stores that have a lowest price guarantee may want you to show them the ads of the competitors.
- Throw an envelope in your purse for receipts. It’s so much easier to keep them all in one place than to dig them out of bags later when you want to make a return.
- Know the store policies. They may have strict return policies and/or exchange policies, making that rock bottom price a waste of money if you change your mind.
- Pack a snack. This is just a basic principle I live by. Throw a little something in your purse. Lines are long, it’s crowded, there is no reason to add being hungry to your list. Make your own coffee, tea, etc. that day too. The lines to buy it just aren’t worth it.
Any tips you’ve learned over the years?
Hope you score amazing deals!
~Mavis
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Pam says
My best suggestion for a plan of attack on Black Friday is to stay home! Sleep late, have a good breakfast and kick back and shop the internet at your leisure. I’ve not met the deal that was worth putting up with the Black Friday mobs. (20 years of working retail on Black Friday may have tainted my opinion a bit….lol)
Mavis Butterfield says
Ha! I agree with you though. I think it’s all hype.
Sherle says
Totally agree with you. I like shopping online but I’m very careful to make sure I’m actually getting a good deal and not being scammed. Though last year I totally scored on a Live Scribe pen on Cyber Monday and I was shopping online from my favorite chair.
Erin says
Last year several of the major retailers started opening at 8pm on Thanksgiving and now many more this year are opening at 5 pm on Thanksgiving. I’ve been a Black Friday shopper for years and love the hunt for the great deal. (It’s also nice to knock out almost all of my Christmas shopping in one night.) However, last year I refused to give up my Thanksgiving evening with my family to go shopping. So, my husband and I enjoyed our evening dinner with our family, put the kiddos to bed, and then headed out. It was after the majority of the shoppers had left. We went to the front of the store where there was a sea of carts of unpurchased special buys. We casually and calmly scanned through the carts and everything the employees had grouped together near the front of the store. It was really pleasant, calm, and nice. We’re planning on doing that this year as well as purchasing as much of it as we can online (which I also did a bunch of last year). I’d rather “wrestle” with a website for a few minutes instead of the crazed, sleep deprived crowds at the stores.
Katie @ Life Lived Intentionally says
As much fun as Black Friday is (ON Friday, ha), Thanksgiving is so important, and it continues to get pushed into unimportance at the stores. I’m staying home this year. PLUS, I’ve been buying things throughout the year and my Christmas shopping is almost done. I got awesome clearance deals!!
Mavis Butterfield says
I remember when I was a kid, even 7-11 was closed on Thanksgiving. Nothing was open. I miss that.
Katie @ Life Lived Intentionally says
I miss that too! I remember the first year that Wal-Mart opened up at midnight on Thanksgiving night. We should have seen what was coming!! 😉
Ellen in Clackamas says
I have to say the thought of getting up at o’dark thirty and going shopping in a mob on my day off gives me the willies! I will stay in bed a long as the critters will let me then have a nice cup of coffee and read the paper in bed. I agree having the stores open on Thanksgiving day depresses me. I thought it was bad enough when my nieces all had to head home early so they could get up at 4AM to work at Fred Meyers. The one thing I am grateful for though is the gas stations being open. We got caught low on gas one year and had to “borrow” gas from our hosts lawn mower so we could get home. Obviously we weren’t prepared and did not expect everything in the little town to be closed!
Carolina Cooper says
Stay home and read (then re-read) a copy of “Unplug the Christmas Machine.” You can buy it on Amazon!