Black Friday Shopping Secrets and Tips
“Black Friday” was the term coined by police,cabbies and bus drivers to describe the traffic nightmare caused on the Friday following Thanksgiving – a day that signified the onset of the Christmas shopping season. However, there’s more to the term Black Friday than a day of lament by public transport providers all over the US.
“Black Friday” is primarily about putting all of the megastores and retailers in the “black” – or into profitability. It’s also about the “black” shenanigans employed by these same megastores and retailers to get you into their shops with cheap offers and discounts, only to try every dirty method in their arsenal to fleece you once you’re there. However, if you’re armed with information before you set out, you can turn the tables on them.
Read on for a list of Black Friday Shopping Secrets and Tips:
- Black Friday ads are leaked online a few weeks before the day. Scour through these ads and make a shopping list. That way, you can hit the shops knowing exactly what you want and how much you’re paying for it. Some of the best sites: blackfridayads.com, gottadeal.com, bfads.net, gizmodo.com, and blackfriday.info
- Beware of misleading deals. Sometimes retailers will advertise only one part of a deal – the sweet part. Then when you get to the store, they hit you with all these other pre-conditions. For example: a product at a cheap price point, but with an expensive warranty that you HAVE to buy or sofware add-ons that are REQUIRED. If there is a significant difference in what was advertised, call their bluff. Ask to speak to a supervisor and insist on the advertised price. If they still don’t relent, threaten to write to the Attorney General. There are high chances you’ll get your price.
- Use price-match and return policies to your benefit. Some stores have a guarantee that they’ll match a competitor’s lower price for a particular product. This may or may not include Black Friday prices. Others have a return policy which is a price-match for their store. (If they drop the price at a later date, they’ll refund the difference) If you find a product that you want and a store guaranteeing Black Friday prices, buy it and go looking for a deal later. This way, you won’t have out of stock problems. This works for buying products from a store which will refund the difference of its own Black Friday prices as well.
- Shop in teams. It’s a pain and takes some organisation, but it helps a lot. Stores have limited hours and stock so you can’t comparision shop between them. Have one team member at each store with a list. Set up a Joopz account to broadcast SMS. The person at the store with the lowest priced product buys it.
- Avoid losers. The Black Friday deals that look too good to be through might be. Make a list of products that you want and their specs. Be mentally prepared to reject really cheap prices if the product doesn’t stand up,or else you’ll land up with a bad case of buyer’s remorse.
- Be early. Some shops open at midnight, and some open as early as 5am. You need to beat the crowd for the simple reason that stocks are limited. You don’t want this potential scenario occuring – you reach late, what you want is soldout, you settle for something you don’t really want, you kick yourself up about it.
- Make sure you get Thanksgiving Day papers and magazines, as a lot of ads come out around then. Also check the Black Friday newspapers which will have a lot of unreleased deals.
- Use the web. Some Black Friday deals include online deals. This may be only buyable online or something that could be purchased online. This way, you can book your product and not need to go to a store at all. Or you can book it a day earlier, and just have to pick it up on Black Friday. (Start checking prices online from Thanksgiving onwards)
Treat this like a military shopping event. Plan in advance, be organized and punctual, dress appropriately, carry food and water and leave the kids at home. It’s a war over prices, and either you win or the retailer will. We’re on you’re side. Go get em!
Filed under: netbook deals