Ah, Black Friday. The day after Thanksgiving is now the biggest shopping day of the year. And in order to entice you to roll out of bed at some preposterous hour to hit the mall, retailers are slashing prices on popular items. Many of the deals will last all weekend. Black Friday takes place in the real world: you'll stand in line, elbow other shoppers to get that last widescreen TV and wonder if there isn't an easier way to get a bargain. Black Friday, which falls on Friday, November 23rd, is then followed by Cyber Monday when retailers offer amazing deals online.
So how does a smart shopper get the best deals on Black Friday? How do you find those deals? And -- more importantly -- how do you keep your sanity in all the chaos?
Merchants usually have different deals for their physical stores and their websites. You can find many of the online retailer deals which extend from now until next Monday on ShoppersShop.com's Deal page. ShoppersShop.com also continues to list deals on this page throughout the holiday season.
To find the bricks-and-mortar deals - also known as in-store deals - check websites like blackfriday.gottadeal.com, bfads.net, www.blackfriday.info, www.dealtaker.com and theblackfriday.com. Another web resource is the Black Friday Twitter - which is providing ongoing news and updates and linking to online articles and news releases. Checking the retailer's websites directly may also be useful as some retailers now post the in-store deals on their websites. The other option is to check your local newspaper which will be packed full of Black Friday ads for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Black Friday is an event that both retailers and shoppers take very seriously. Last weekend 100,000 Best Buy employees participated in a Black Friday dry run that included simulated lines of shoppers. Other retailers are probably making similar preparations. Your fellow shoppers will be taking the day seriously as well. They will be getting up as early as possible to beat you
to the store. Several articles are providing tips for how to best handle Black Friday. You can see some of the articles, here, here, here, here and here. We've analyzed these articles and below are some of the common themes we found.
Web Research: Find information about the deals before you they show up in the newspaper. You are reading this blog entry so you are on the right track. You should also check prices online (TheStreet.com suggests using comparison shopping tools) and make sure the Black Friday deals you are interested look like they are really as great they look.
Get There Really Early: There's a reason Target's Black Friday tv commercials show shoppers practicing for the big day. A lot of people get up
very early to get the discounted items before they are sold out. If you want the best deals you need to be an early riser as well.
That means being at the store when it opens to make sure your discounted item is still available. Yes, even if it is four or
five in the morning. Black Friday shopping is serious business.
Teamwork: Useful for carpooling and splitting up to get items. It's also useful for waiting in queues - what if you need a bathroom
break?
Have a Plan: List the deals and items you are interested in and focus solely on them. The best way to save money is by not getting distracted by other items in the store.
Returns: Familiarize yourself with the store's return policy and use your credit card - if you want to return something later your
credit card will come in handy. Your rights as a consumer are much stronger legally with a credit card than with a debit card,
because a debit card is considered cash. Many credit cards offer return protection and sale price protection.
If you love the excitement of a crowded store or mall, have a "must buy" item that you need a deal on, want an excuse to get out of the house on Friday or you have a competitive nature Black Friday is the shopping day for you. If you find the concept horrifying, you should wait until Cyber Monday and shop from the relative calm of your own home.
