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18 Tips to Maximize Your Black Friday Shopping Experience - and Not Go Crazy
Photo: olaf/Flickr (CC)
November 09, 2009
With so many Americans operating in the red, we naturally want to make the most of the killer sales offered on Black Friday. Thus, we’ve amassed 18 tips to help you get through the day without tearing your hair out.
1. Buy the newspaper: There’s a reason the Thanksgiving Day newspaper is the fattest newspaper of the year. Advertisers annually stuff this paper with coupons and circulars advertising their best sales. You can increase your savings with online coupons. Just make sure they can be used in combination with in-store sales or newspaper coupons.
2. Do your research: If you have your eye on a particular item, surf the price-comparison Web sites and record the prices for reference while shopping. Don’t forget to add any fees to the price. Some stores allow you to place an order online for in-store pickup the next day. You’ll still want to hit that store pretty early, however, and bring your printed-out receipt as sales clerks may not focus on filling online orders when pressed by throngs of shoppers.
3. Bring the ads: Make the retailer stick to their advertised price and any offers to match the “lowest price” advertised. Many stores presently refuse to match Internet prices, but it can’t hurt to try.
4. Develop a game-day plan: Draw up your shopping list and establish your priorities before you hit the stores. Decide which stores you want to shop and in what order.
5. Are all parts included? Is the sale item stripped down or sold with all necessary parts? For example, some stores will low-ball the price on a computer printer but not include a printer cartridge, which can run to a pretty hefty figure. As a matter of fact, you should always check the price of printer cartridges before buying a printer. A $50 printer isn’t a great deal when the cartridges cost $50 each and run out quickly.
6. Qualify the quality: A bad product is a bad deal, no matter how cheap it is. Don’t assume a big-name brand means quality. Sometimes, an off-brand is actually a better value. ConsumerReports.org is one of the best places to research the quality of big-ticket items.
7. Take along a shopping buddy: Two people can shop more efficiently than one during the heavy press of sales, thus increasing the odds you’ll find everything on your list. One buddy can wait in check-out lines while the other continues to cruise for deals. Make sure you have your buddy’s cell phone number, however, so you can stay in contact.
