Black Friday Shopping Strategies
(shopping for high quality items that will last, shopping for things you need vs things you want, set alarms, shop online vs in person, shopping for versatile items, etc)
It’s almost the biggest shopping day of the year - Black Friday! The day after Thanksgiving used to evoke images of angry mobs of shoppers, stampeding through the front doors of big department stores after waiting in line for hours to catch crazy deals on wildly popular items.
Nowadays, Black Friday has become a much more convenient shopping event. You can catch some of the most amazing deals on everything from electronics to cars to clothing and more, without ever stepping foot out of your front. Since there are so many deals to choose from and less need to be anywhere physically, it can be daunting to decide which sales and specials to take advantage of. Here’s are some tips and strategies that will help you make the most out of this year’s Black Friday deals:
Get your Shopping Game Plan in Place Early
A lot of retailers will be running deals and specials all month long, not just on Black Friday. Others will run some preliminary deals but drop the biggest discounts as Black Friday or Cyber Monday near. Get your budget together beforehand and based on that, decide which items you’ll be going for. When trying to decide which items to shop for, start with choosing items that you’ve been wanting for a long time or things that will help you reach your biggest goals. If you’ve been wanting to spend more quality time with the family or with friends and you enjoy games, maybe a console is a great buy. If you have been wanting to step up your fitness game, maybe some fitness gear or athletic wear, like cute yoga leggings or exercise tops are a good buy. Yoga mats, biker shorts, printed sports bras, free weights and other fitness accessories are also great buys. If you’ve been wanting to take up a sport or a skill, like music, maybe an instrument should be top of your list. Whatever your goals are, make Black Friday work for you this year!
Start Your Cart Early & Join Loyalty Programs
Marketer and ecommerce research has shown that this year, retailers will be rolling out their deals early; and shoppers are starting early as well. With less people in stores physically and way more on line, inventories will likely only go so far. Which means the shopper competition will be fierce for the specials and deals. Scope out the items you’ve had your eye on and start loading them into your cart. Having shopper accounts and joining loyalty programs with your favorite retailers is always a plus so you can save your cart. You’ll also receive all the alerts and latest updates about the sales, so you’ll have access to sales early and an upper hand above everyone who isn’t subscribed. Do this and the moment the sales kick in, all you’ll need to do is hit check out! And maybe a captcha or two, but you get the point.
Follow Your Favorite Retailers on Social Media
Another way to stay up to date on what’s going on is to follow your favorite retailers social pages. They’ll publish anytime they have something to announce and it’ll be a reminder of what you’re planning on getting every time you see them. Because, let’s be real, you’re going to be scrolling anyways.
Use Apps and Extensions
If you have a specific item in mind, like a tv, a computer, a brand of sneakers, athletic wear or anything else, price comparison apps and extensions will be your best friends.These will keep you from needing to go to a million websites individually by giving you alerts when prices drop, showing you price histories or displaying any available coupon codes as you shop.
