let the holidaze begin!
Of course I am thankful for my family, friends, good health and for being employed. But, today I am thankful for finding the Black Friday 2009 guide. This gem of information will give me what I need to have an edge on my sister-in-law this year! There are 4 days 2 hours and 28 minutes until game day!
I want to share some information that I found online with you:
Any veteran bargain-hunter will tell you that shopping on Black Friday isn’t about winning the battle. It’s about winning the war. You won’t be able to get every deal you desire, but as long as you save some big bucks on even a couple of items, you can consider it a victory.
Here are five guidelines that will help maximize your a.m. shopping potential:
Scout, scout, scout
Black Friday ads come in the newspaper almost every day leading up to Thanksgiving nowadays, so tracking all of them can be difficult. Luckily, one Web site dedicates itself to doing this job for you. Blackfriday.info posts leaked ads and lists each item and its price by category (electronics, jewelry, home, etc.).
“You don’t have to wait for the Thursday paper anymore to get a lead on the leads,” says Yahoo tech blogger Dory Devlin.
For those who like to stay in their warm beds on the Friday after Thanksgiving, Web sites like PriceGrabber.com and shopping.yahoo.com also are helpful in comparing the prices of items at various online stores.
Keep in mind, too, that some items may be found at lower prices on eBay and Craigslist.
Know your store ahead of time
Realizing how crucial it is for Black Friday bargain-hunters to familiarize themselves with the stores they plan to visit, Target implemented a few new policies. Crazy…right??
When the doors open at 5 a.m. Friday morning, the first 500 shoppers who enter will be given a free reusable shopping bag and a map that directs shoppers to the store’s door buster items.
Being unique and making a great Black Friday shopping experience for everyone is important to Target. They even do doing things like handing out maps to help reduce the level of franticness that can arise.
Another plus for Target shoppers will be the store’s new Black Friday ad-matching policy. If another store runs out of a particular product, Target will sell customers the same product for the same price. Wal-Mart now offers a similar price-matching policy. And some stores, such as Best Buy, have price-matching policies that they suspend on Black Friday. The smartest thing to do is check the store’s Web site or call in advance to find out each location’s return and price-matching policies.
Another important Target tip is that customers usually start lining up outside of Target at about midnight every year, but the bulk come between 2 and 3 a.m.
Be smart with your budget
Sometimes shoppers think deals are too good to pass up. Most of the time, they should anyway.
Never buy an item because of the price tag. Always buy out of necessity. Ask yourself, “When would I use this?” “Would I get bored with this after two or three times?” “Is it already outdated?” “Am I merely infatuated with the colors?”
An even better way to stop unnecessary spending is to make a budget list.
Even the best of the best will recommend that you make a list of family members and friends for whom you are planning to purchase gifts for and have a dollar limit set for each person, then use the ads to identify specific gifts for their list of individuals. Stick to the list and the dollar limit.
Shop like a secret agent (if possible)
This is my favorite of all the Black Friday strategies. The old saying “survival of the fittest” fittingly applies to this day. Deal-hungry shoppers almost always encounter a few elbows and shoulder thrusts. But with some wily maneuvering, you can go home with your desired gifts without the slew of deep bruises.
Please avert your eyes now, store managers and employees…
Twitter has become a great new Black Friday tool for tech-savvy smartphone owners. The account at twitter.com/blackfriday gives real-time information about new deals and what stores have run out of select products. Turning on SMS alerts also can be helpful on the biggest shopping day of the year. (OK this is one of my favorites too!)
You don’t need a smartphone, however, to pull off this old trick. Megastores provide lots of hiding places for smaller items, where you can make your choices ahead of time or keep your purchases safe until you can come back to the store when the line is shorter. Let’s face it, refrigerators, washers and dryers aren’t exactly Tickle Me Elmo popular around the holidays, and most of the employees will be too distracted by the Black Friday chaos to go around checking ice boxes for Blu-ray copies of “Metallica: Français pour une nuit.”
Health before wealth
Last but not least, your well-being is most important. Remember to wear shoes in which you can comfortably stand for long periods of time, stay warm and hydrated and if you are the die hard that the Grandma Betty’s of the world are….bring a blanket, coat and plenty of cocoa if you’re planning on staying over night. Happy Shopping!
4 Days 1 ½ hours and 21 minutes to get ready!
Let the insanity begin!!
Much thanks to Shea Connor of the St. Joe News for some of the research above
