Thanksgiving is right around the corner and there are a few things it brings to mind…turkey, shopping, family, shopping, football…wait, did I mention shopping? You know what I’m talking about collegiates! It’s what we’ve all been training for, scouring the ads and internet pages for our plan of attack for the holy grail of all shopping days: Black Friday! But if you’re a little behind on the best deals around, then look no further. I have your plan of attack all laid out for you!
Best Stores for Deals
Electronics: Best Buy, Target, Walmart, Staples, Apple, h.h. gregg, Khol’s.
Black Friday is the best day of the year to purchase electronics. The savings are absolutely ridiculous! For example, check out Best Buy’s crazy deals offering prices slashed in half! Dell laptops go from $399.99 to $169.99, Apple iPod nano drops from $139.99 to $79.99, and the sales on T.Vs are too many to even begin listing! Try to hit these stores earlier than expected though. The deals are so awesome that you’ll find some people camping out in tents waiting for doors to open!
Clothing: Express, Old Navy, Guess, Aeropostale, Macy’s & All other department stores
Basically every clothing store in the mall will have Black Friday deals going on, so you’re sure to find some deals anywhere you go, but some stores have really gone all out. Express is offering $40 off of purchases of $120, $10 off of $30, and $30 off of $90, as well as 30% any regular priced item! Old Navy’s entire store is 50% and Aeropostale has 60% off of the entire store as well! Want a variety of designers? Head to your favorite department store, like Macy’s where boots and bags are 50% off and designer coats are 60% off! Make sure you wear comfortable clothes…it’s going to be a long day!
Beauty: Sephora, BH cosmetics, Origins, Ulta
Nothing makes my heart thump more than a blowout sale at the beauty counter, and these sales are guaranteed to get your heart racing! Beauty counters are famous for selling value sets around this time of year, so basically you’re getting a ton of items at one time for usually half the price. Sephora is offering 78% off of Smashbox sets, 72% off of Bare Minerals sets, and 50% off of some mascaras, just to name a few deals. Origins and Ulta have the same idea as well, with shelves stacked high with sets from your favorite make-up and hair brands at a ridiculously low price. BH Cosmetics is online, so you get to shop all you want from the comfort of your bed…umm, can it get any better than that?
For the total scoop on all the deals going on (and trust me, there’s plenty), log on to these websites that feature all the ads and deals you need to know about:
www.bfads.net/adscans and www.offers.com
For you shoppers who prefer to check up on deals on the go, download these great apps on your smartphone, all for free, to keep updated while out and about!
TGIBF: Sort deals by product and stores, create personalized shopping lists, and share deals via e-mail, facebook, and twitter!
Amazon Mobile: Some of the best deals you’ll find anywhere and free shipping! This really comes in handy for cyber monday or getting things done wherever you happen to be.
Smart Aisles: Includes lists of stores, their locations, maps, and current deals, so even if you’re out of town visiting family, you can still find the deals in a breeze.
RedLaser: Barcode scanner and shopping assistant in one! Search thousands of retailers to see what your item is worth and if there’s a better deal on it elsewhere. It also indexes coupons and sales to add to your discounts!
ShopSavvy: The exact same concept as RedLaser, expect you can purchase items on the app to nab the deals right away!
More discounts you collegiates get to take part in (that others don’t) are student discounts! Stores vary by their amounts, but here are some tried and true retailers who are willing to reward you for all those late nights of studying! Just make sure to bring your student i.d for proof!
Anne Taylor 20% off
Banana Republic 15 % off
Charlotte Russe 10% off
J Crew 15% off
Juicy Couture 15% off
Madewell 15% off
Topshop 10% off
Apple (various deals…but there are always some!)
So pack your bags, put on your comfiest clothes, brew a big pot of coffee, and let’s get to shopping!