7 Tips To Shop Black Friday
Half the fun of black Friday s planning for Black Friday. It's knowing exactly what's going to be on sale — and when — that gets you up at the crack of dawn while the rest of the family sleeps. Sound familiar? Are you guilty of this shop rush as much as I am?
In order to set yourself up for success and skipping the mass stress, especially if you're venturing into the brick-and-mortar battleground, you first need to know the basics of Black Friday. So let’s start here shall we?
FIRST OFF, WHEN IS BLACK FRIDAY 2019?
Black Friday is technically the Friday after Thanksgiving, so this year that would be Friday the 29th of November. Even though it’s that date, many of the deals actually start on Thanksgiving Day the 29th of November, which, of course, is on a Thursday. Black Friday hours vary between retailers, but here's what we know so far, according to black Friday ads:
Best Buy: Online deals start as early as 12 a.m. on Nov. 28. In-store sales start on Nov. 28 at 5 p.m., with new deals being released throughout the weekend.
Kohl's: Online deals start as early as 12 a.m. on Nov. 25, while in-store sales start at 5 p.m. on Nov. 28.
Nordstrom: While prices won't start dropping until Wednesday, November 27, Nordstrom has already released a handful of deals so you can get a head start on making your Black Friday shopping list.
Amazon: Amazon’s Black Friday 2019 sales are now in full flow with massive savings across smartphones, tablets, laptops and TVs. But, for many, it is Amazon’s Black Friday deals on its own Echo, Fire and Kindle devices that take centre stage.
Target: On Nov. 28, online deals start at 12 a.m. while doors open at 5 p.m. Stores will reopen at 7 a.m. on Nov. 29.
Walmart: Walmart will open its doors on Nov. 28 at 6 p.m. while online sales ramp up on Nov. 27 at 10 p.m.
The Giv Box: Subscription boxes usually come with a monthly subscription attached and you can’t buy just one month! Well now you can, you can buy a box full of $100 worth of do good products for only $24.oo and no subscription attached! It’s the only day you can get one without a subscription and for 40% off. It’s the perfect way to test out a subscription box for the first time and even more perfect for gifting season. Mark your calendars….they are doing limited supply.
Note: some store hours may vary by location, so be sure to check online or call your nearest location before you head out.
7 BLACK FRIDAY TIPS:
Sign up for Email or Text Alerts and get discount codes.
Decide which stores you will shop at this year. Visit each website and sign up for email newsletters. It is important that you do this at least two weeks before Black Friday. It can take time before the emails start to generate, so you want to allow ample time to get added to the list.
Prioritize Your Shopping List.
When making your list of items you need to buy, list them first by store and then by order of importance. This will put the “must find” items at the top so you can first focus on finding them as you visit each store. When you get there, walk to that department first to find the item you want.
Act Fast: Don’t let hot-ticket items linger in your online shopping cart. They will sell out.
“Buy door busters immediately and then browse for other items at your leisure,” advised Andrea Woroch, a consumer finance expert. For a speedier checkout, Woroch recommends creating a shopper profile in advance so you don’t have to enter your payment and shipping information during crunch time.
Shop with discounted gift card.
It is always fun to get a deal. It’s even better to get a great deal. A simple way to do this is to shop with discounted gift cards. Before you head out to shop, visit a site like Raise.com to find discounted gift cards.
You can also find gift cards for hundreds of retailers. Places like Sam’s Club often offer up to 25% savings on gift cards, which means you’ll have saved money before you even make it to the store!
Don’t forget about travel.
Most consumers don't immediately connect travel deals with Black Friday,” said Evan Crawford, regional marketing director for San Antonio's Hotel Contessa. “But some of the best savings during Black Friday through Cyber Monday actually come from hotel and travel industry.”
And remember, the most important thing is to set yourself up for success and have fun!
Shop Deals From Social Good Companies.
Don’t forget that smaller companies have deals too….and so many have even better deals than the big box stores, but create bigger impact. Check out my Blog post this weekend on www.jenstyles.com for more info on the social good companies with black Friday deals.
Scout the Brick-N-Morter Stores Day Before.
Get the floor planned laid before you decide to go into shopping battle. Go the day before so you know where the deals will be, and what the store lay out and parking is all about so you can make all that effort worth it! You got this…be prepared.