Tips For Black Friday Shopping

Thanksgiving is almost here, and for many of us, this means going home to spend time with our families, eating turkey and other delicious foods, watching football and eventually passing out from food comas. But once recovered from the Thanksgiving feasts, people will be ready to find the best deals on Black Friday.

As the holiday season approaches, retailers and consumers are preparing for one of the busiest shopping days of the year. The day after Thanksgiving typically marks the official start to the holiday shopping season. Most retail stores open extremely early, often around 5 am, or earlier, and offer promotional sales. Some stores aren’t even waiting for Black Friday to kick off the holiday sales. In recent years, major stores have been launching their sales even earlier.

Here are some tips to keep in mind to help you make the most of the sales and discounts on Black Friday:

Do Your Research –If you are planning on buying a major item, make sure you read consumer reviews and reports before you decide to purchase an item. Take the time to make sure you know what the “hot” items are, at what stores and how much. Be sure it’s a product worth getting up early for, or staying up late to get the discount.

Make a List –What items are you looking for? Who are you shopping for? Put together a list of what you are planning to buy. It’s easy to get pulled into the sales you’ll see, and you will probably find yourself buying stuff you don’t actually need.  

Bring Circulars to Other Stores –Many retailers will often match the price for different stores. Walmart has a new program called, “Christmas Price Guarantee.” If you purchase an item at Walmart, and then find another store that sells that item for less, Walmart will give you a gift card with the price difference.  

Use Social Media –“Like” your favorite stores on their Facebook pages, and follow them on twitter. Many stores will update their social network sites to update shoppers on store hours and deals.

Use Your Smartphone –Use the “Black Friday Shopping”, TGI Black Friday, and other apps on your iPhone, Android or other smartphone device to view Black Friday specials and create personal shopping lists that you can edit and share. 

For those of you who would rather shop online and skip the lines at the stores, Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, is considered the busiest online shopping day of the year. There will be several sales online that you can take advantage of. Many retailers will offer free shipping. You can find coupon codes on websites like www.freeshipping.com.

I hope you have a fabulous shopping experience this Black Friday. Happy Shopping to all our readers!