Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year. Everyone knows it’s coming, and it’s beyond intense. Cyber Monday has started to tame it, but I personally don’t love ordering online so I’m still a hardcore shopper on Black Friday. While I have a couple of years under my belt, I have a few suggestions for going about Black Friday as a college student. I also want to highlight a lot of great deals that are happening that are worth the trek out of the house!
Waking up early is not a myth! I don’t wake up at the crack of dawn, but I’m always ready and in the car by 7:30 a.m. It truly is the earliest I’m up all year, but I love the thrill of it. However, since you’re up so early but not as early as others, most stores are going to be very, very busy when you get there. I tend to ignore the parking spots, and will truly just park wherever I can find a spot first. It’s not worth the time you’ll spend driving around the parking lot to find a closer spot. This isn’t a normal shopping trip and there are constantly going to be people around you, so getting out of a close spot is nearly impossible.
However, you may be wondering, where is it worth it? While a lot of stores have started “early Black Friday” or “Black Friday month,” the day of Black Friday is typically full of better deals than the earlier deals.
Target
Target is one place that I believe is worth shopping during their whole early Black Friday time, mostly because I’m addicted to Target, but they also have a great deal. However, regardless of sales, one thing I like is they will price match anything bought from October 22 to December 24 if the price goes down at all for that item. However, for the actual deals that are worth it. Technology, for the most part, has great sales. Books, movies and music are going to be buy two, get one free. Board games, puzzles, and select toys are going to be half off. Certain luggage is also going to be half off. Most clothes and accessories are going to be 30% off.
Walmart
A lot of home-goods are going to be on sale for Black Friday this year. For those that are getting ready to move into a house next year instead of living in dorms, or those that are just looking to update their current house, should turn to Walmart. Their prices are notorious for being lower than others in general, so the sales-price is something that can’t be beat. Their clothes are also going to be on sale, from adult clothes to childrens, with clothing accessories and shoes also being on sale. There are also great deals on technology with there being sizable sales with things such as TVs, smart devices and headphones.
Kohl’s
The sales are starting a little early with Kohl’s. On their website, there is an extra 15% off coupon that ends November 24th. There are even lots of great deals that don’t need the coupon. Just like Target, there are going to be 50% off toys for select styles and brands. The Kohl’s bedding brand, The Big One, is having an internal sale where styles are starting at $9.99 instead of their usual $19.99, and you are able to use the 15% off coupons to bring the price down even more. Christmas decorations are also going to be 50% off and you can use that coupon as well to help decorate your house or dorm while saving a good amount of money. Select Amazon tablets are also going to be 50% off. Clothes are going to have several deals including: PJs for the family being 60% off; women’s boots and sweaters are going to be on sale, name-brand athletic wear like Nike and Under Armour are going to be up to 40% off, topping it all off with jackets and coats being 60% off. If you’re leaning more towards accessories, jewelry is going to be 70% off for certain styles.
Old Navy
One of the largest sales that’s happening at Old Navy is their annual 50% off everything sale. They have already sent out an ad for the lowest price point for select styles including: tees starting at $7; PJs going on sale to $8; activewear is starting at $10; jeans are starting at $15. One of the most exciting parts of this sale is that the deals are starting on November 23rd online, in preparation for the in-store sale that’s happening on Black Friday. They are allowing things to be added to the cart when they are under your “Saved for later” section, allowing for a quick and easy checkout once the sales do start.
Along with these sales, there is also Cyber Monday. The largest site for that is always Amazon, and all stores, for the most part, will have the same deals through Cyber Monday, or have a new deal that is relatively equivalent. That means that you can purchase all of the items that were sold out or not in stock to begin with on Black Friday.