Top 6 Black Friday Shopping Tips to Get the Best Deals
Even your grandmother has heard of Black Friday! The Black Friday season of the year is approaching, so it’s officially time to break the piggy bank with money. It’s the best time of the year to invest in all sorts of electronics, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, PCs, Xbox, video games, wireless headphones, and so on. The regular shopping list can’t miss so that you know what to expect when looking for the best offers. We know what you’re thinking;
Black Friday resulted in heavy traffic, crowded stores, endless lines, workers, and customers with short tempers. You want to skip all those long waiting hours in the line, so you want to consider another shopping option. Yes, you’ve guessed! Online shopping for Black Friday can be such a great opportunity to avoid all the chaos and overwhelming walking in all the physical stores. However, heavy shoppers will need to keep their eyes glued to the websites that are going to “explode” the minute Black Friday shopping session starts.
Overall, Black Friday is a tremendously great experience, as dedicated shoppers are still going to line up often before dawn to take advantage of being the first ones (out of thousands of people) that grab the items before they ran out of stock. Whether you choose to shop online or in-store, or maybe both, these following tips will help you have an excellent Black Friday shopping experience.
Know your budget
The average shopper spends about $500 on a Black Friday shopping session. It is quite impressive. Black Friday is a great way to take advantage of all those discounts. Once in a while, it’s ok to spoil yourself with some new items you’ve been wanting or needing. Although it’s hard to resist temptation, make sure you don’t spend more than you can afford. Your wallet will thank you later if you show limitations now. We know how much you want that pair of wireless earphones or that coat. But, if your budget is low, it’s best to set limitations. Therefore, before you end up spending all your savings on Black Friday, make sure you set a budget and stick to it. Know your budget – use these tips to ensure that you’re not going to finish the Black Friday shopping session day under budget.
photo/ fancycrave1
Research products’ prices
Are all discounts a real deal? Be aware of the many products with “low” prices. If you’ve noticed a certain product during the year which is now far more expensive, or at the same price as two months ago, it’s a scam and you won’t benefit any Black Friday deal. To ensure you aren’t going to be fooled by certain unreliable companies, set price alerts for similar products you plan on buying on Black Friday. It’s how you’ll notice if they’re going on sale, or it’s just a way to sell those products and fool people into thinking that they’re worth the deal. Research pre-Black Friday pricing, and if you’re lucky, you’ll notice any suspicious pricing and avoid falling for scams called “deals”.
Follow your retailers on social media pages
Following your retailers on social media is great, but most importantly, you should follow them during the holiday season, or before Black Friday. It’ll be a great opportunity to snag the best deals. A couple of weeks before Black Friday, start to search for lists, and sale announcements. You can check on Facebook or Instagram, but first, make sure you follow your retailers’ pages. But you’ll receive a lot of targeted ads after you follow those pages. It might not be a bad thing, because now you are looking to hunt all the best deals. Depending on your desires, and if you want to look for more discounts, you can type, for example, Apple product discounts on Black Friday, as a shopping strategy. Your Facebook ads will be well-targeted to your tastes.
Sign up for newsletters
Signing up for newsletters it’s another way to keep yourself informed with the latest sales. It takes just two seconds to enter your email address so that you can receive a newsletter. If you want to avoid clutter in your inbox email messages, just create an email and use it specifically for retail notifications. For example, Gmail might be great to use and receive a lot of promo emails. However, make sure you pay attention to the newsletters a few weeks before Black Friday. It’s a lot easier to stay informed about the latest Black Friday sales – much more efficient than Googling all the time the final results.
Familiarize yourself with return policies
When buying a new product, one of the most important things you should look for is to understand the return policies. Familiarize yourself with your favorite retailers’ return policies and fees. Generally, big and well-known companies allow return policies with no issues, even for full cash returns. Usually, the return policy lasts 14 days, but it can be longer than that. However, make sure to not open, use, and then return the package. It must be returned in the original box, with no marks on the product. The product must be in perfect condition so that you can receive a total refund for it.
Make a list with what you’re going to buy
As mentioned above, sticking to your budget is significantly important. So, the best way to avoid all the chaos inside the malls, and other stores, it’s best to make a list of all the products you’re going to buy. You’re already going to sign up for a newsletter, so, knowing what you’re going to buy isn’t going to be that hard. Otherwise, you’re likely to go to many stores (much more than you’ve planned to go to) and spend much more than you can afford. Exceeding your budget is unacceptable – avoid purchasing unnecessary products that eventually, won’t serve you later.
Author: Stephen Marshall
