Thanksgiving break… a time to spend with family, eat delicious food and catch up on sleep. Want to make your break even more exciting, though? Black Friday. Many people I know think of it as a scary event, immediately thinking about a last pair of shoes fight, but it can also be a very safe, planned out and fun adventure.
As a college student, Black Friday shopping can be a very beneficial thing to participate in, especially if you are on a budget for holiday gifts. I remember last year when I went with my sister, she purchased a Panini press for $10 at Macy’s. It was such a good deal that she even purchased one for herself! $10… that’s the price of a lunch at Panera Bread right there.
Black Friday shopping has been a huge part of my Thanksgiving holiday for the past two years. Even if you don’t leave with much, it’s still an exciting thing to try! Whether you are a first timer shopper, or going again, here are some tips and tricks that will make your trip much easier and less stressful:
1. Plan out what stores you’re going to.
If you plan ahead of time where you will be shopping, and even what specific item(s) you are going to purchase, it will make your life much easier. If you walk around aimlessly
unsure of what sales are running in what stores, you may find yourself stressing out. Make a list! A great website to use for research is: https://blackfriday.com. It has all the known advertisement PDFs for stores and keeps updating as stores release more ads.
2. Plan in what order you are shopping.
Once you have the list of stores you want to shop at, put them in order of importance. For example, if you had Best Buy, Walmart and Target, pick the one with the item(s) in which you want the most. Since huge sales will be going on, it is very likely that items will run out after enough time has passed.
3. Make a budget.
If you don’t plan on spending your entire savings, I would suggest putting a spending limit on your trip. If you’re using this trip to holiday shop, it would be smart to make a budget for each person you shop for, that way you on’t lose track of what you’re spending.
4. Caffeine.
If you’re planning on going shopping with no sleep in between the turkey and the mall, filling up on caffeine will make your life easier. You will be more alert and have an overall
better time!
5. Coupons.
If you have found coupons on your cell phone or online, make sure you print them out or have them ready to pull up on your phone. Some stores may only have extra deals sent through email or found online. If there is a certain store you are looking to shop at, check out it’s website for an email list.
6. Bring food.
The last thing you’re going to want to do is wait in a long line to get food. By doing so, you could be missing out on crucial shopping time. I usually bring snacks or eat before leave, that way I can fully focus on the task at hand.
7. Prepare yourself for a crowd.
Considering this is one day out of the entire year that stores have crazy good deals, it’s to be expected that the stores could get crowded. Make sure that you prepare yourself with
that possibility.
8. Download a deal app.
If you have a smartphone, it would be helpful to download a shopping app. I found some really informative ones that you should check out: TGI Black Friday (Black Friday deals and you can even make your own personalized shopping list!), Coupon Sherpa (coupons/deals), RedLaser (product price comparison/reviews) and FastMall (mall navigation).
I’ve already planned out what stores I’m going to. To name a few, some of them are:
Victoria’s Secret (ad hasn’t been released yet)
Old Navy (50% off everything)
Target (various doorbusters)
Bath and Body Works (ad hasn’t been released yet)
Kohl’s (various doorbusters)
Macy’s (various doorbusters)
If you’re not a crowd person and prefer to stay home and sleep off that turkey and stuffing, there are always online deals and Cyber Monday!
I hope you all have a healthy and enjoyable Thanksgiving! Good luck and happy shopping!