It is officially the holiday season! I think everyone agrees that the best part about the holidays is the gifts. Right now, more than ever stores and shops are preparing for the biggest time of the year and the most profitable: Black Friday. People go absolutely insane trying to find the best deals and the best items for their friends and loved ones. As someone who’s worked in retail, I have seen absolute horror and chaos during Black Friday and I’m here to give it to you straight and help you avoid the struggles of shopping during this season.
- SHOP DURING EARLY NOVEMBER
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A common misconception is that only on Black Friday will you get the best deal. After working at so many stores, that’s. not. true. As I mentioned earlier, stores are already getting products ready to be put out on the sales floor so that people can buy them up. What a lot of companies do is have really good sales and offers put in place even before Black Friday comes around. More often than not, the sales on Black Friday are the exact same during the few weeks before it. Some stores will have a Black Friday special offer, but the sales will be the same and you can get your items before they are sold out and without having to tackle anybody!
- EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM
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If you are brave and you want to go out shopping on Black Friday, your best bet is to go shopping during the early hours. A lot of stores will open earlier on that day, so keep track of what time each of the stores you want to go to open. I recommend going in right at opening. It’s usually calmer, especially if a store is opening at 6 AM. Most people are still in a food coma from Thanksgiving and aren’t up bright and early, especially at an early time like 6 AM. You could shop somewhat peacefully and if there are special offers that day, you’ll be the first to take advantage of it.
Be cautious if a particular store has something very trendy and limited as a result. For example, stores like GameStop had long lines that formed hours before the store even opened to get the coveted PS5. If you’re aiming to get something that has a high demand, stay updated on whether or not you need to get up hours in advance to get your hands on the item.
- ASSIGN A PERSONAL DRIVER
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Parking is going to be horrendous on Black Friday. My advice: get dropped off and picked up by a family member or a friend. Even the employees, including me, do this because we don’t want to risk being late. Create a game plan where someone is in charge of the shopping, while the other is the driver. That way you’re not drowning in mall traffic looking for parking and can make the experience a bit less stressful. You could also try finding parking somewhere that’s a little bit farther, but of course, these spots will be taken.
- WE SELL GIFTS, WE DON’T WRAP THEM!
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The number of times I have already been asked if we have gift boxes and if we do wrapping is astronomical. While it can be super convenient for customers if we do have that, most stores will not have that option. If we do, managers will usually tell us to go ahead and gift wrap at check out without waiting on customers to ask. If you would like to ask if we do gift wrapping, check with a sales associate on the sales floor. Don’t ask the cashiers because they are already very busy trying to get the line down and sometimes it gets too loud with the crowd to hear any other requests.
- SIGN UP FOR REWARDS? YES! APPLY FOR THE CREDIT CARD? NO!
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Since Black Friday is going to involve hefty purchases, retail stores are going to offer incentives to open and apply for their credit card. Don’t fall for this! Most of these credit cards have high-interest rates and will hurt your credit regardless of if it’s a hard or soft credit check. The rewards programs are a better and less costly alternative where you can still save a good amount of money. Use your own personal credit cards, but don’t fall for this trick during this holiday season.
Now that you know the dos and don’ts, you are better prepared for this anticipated day of the year! All in all, go in early, have a personal uber, ask sales floor people about gift wrapping options, and don’t apply for the credit cards, and you will truly have a happy holiday.