Yet, Black Friday is not as dark and ominous as it sounds. It is an opportunist’s dream. In one day, you can get early access to the season’s coolest and most sought-after gifts. This is also a good way to spread your holiday spending out across a 30 day period, as opposed to doing all your shopping at the end of December when you’re likely to be entertaining more and working less. Don’t be deterred from getting your shopping done early because of ghastly department store campouts and fatherly fist-fights in toy stores. There are plenty of ways for you to gear up for Black Friday so that you have a smooth and successful shopping experience without spending your entire savings.
Do Your Research
On a day like Black Friday, being prepared is everything when it comes to planning the most stress-free shopping day of the year. Before your Thanksgiving feast and subsequent tryptophan-induced coma, spend a few days researching the various gift options for your loved ones. There are plenty of “trendy gifts” out there. Past examples include Beanie Babies, Playstation, and GPS systems for the car that you may want to find at your local store before heading out blindly.
Additionally, there are probably some more unique gifts from specialty stores you will want to consider purchasing. However, with smaller stores there is usually less of a chance to receive a Black Friday discount of sorts, so you can reserve those stores for other days when the crowds die down and there are fewer cars on the road. I suggest calling ahead of time to see what types of promotions they are running on Black Friday to save time and money!
Map out your Treasure Hunt
Malls are great because you can kill a lot of birds with just one stone. However, malls can be one of the most treacherous grounds for Black Friday shopping, as many of them have the stores the most popular holiday gifts are purchased from. Picking the right mall is key, as you will not want to drive around and deal with parking on a day like Black Friday. Try and find as many of the stores you need to get everything on your list under one roof as possible.
If you like to get unique gifts from specialty stores in different parts of town, you will want to avoid peak traffic times on the roads, be mindful of mealtimes – when shopping is probably a bit calmer for those in need of a break after a long morning or afternoon of gift-hunting, and differing store hours. If you check ahead of time and find they are running promotions to offer special Black Friday discounts, then head there after you hit the more mainstream stores and malls up, as they are the most crowded and sell out the fastest.
Cut Coupons
There are tons of Black Friday deals out there like Amazon’s Nintendo Wii bundle or Macy’s BOGO deal on Children’s sweaters to help you save money this holiday season. Although Black Friday may be the biggest day to knock out your shopping for the holidays, everyone has the day off so the overcrowded stores and rush to get items before they sell out can cause you to spend more than you normally would if you could take your sweet time. To combat the rush and impulse buys, prepare for shopping warfare by arming yourself with coupons!
Black Friday coupons are a great premeditated measure to assist you in keeping your holiday costs low, whether it is for gifts, supplies, or food. Some sites are loaded with Black Friday deals in the form of promotion codes and printable coupons to get you ready for the big day. Perusing sites like this before leaving the house for battle will not only get you those Black Friday discounts you love but may give you some new ideas for gifts you never thought of!
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