Money-Saving Black Friday Shopping Tips
Avoid Impulse Buying & Maximize Savings at After Thanksgiving Sales
Sep 28, 2009
Black Friday, which falls on the day after Thanksgiving, is one of the busiest shopping days of the year and the official beginning of the Christmas and holiday shopping season. Stores compete for business by offering outstanding deals on all kinds of possible gifts. In response, thousands of Americans pile into their vehicles over to the nearest mall or big box store at the crack of dawn in search of the best deals.
But is Black Friday always a good deal for shoppers? If consumers do research and make some effort to find the best deals, they can potentially save quite a bit of money. Unfortunately, this annual shopping mania invites quite a bit of Black Friday impulse shopping, which can be brutal on the pocketbook. In addition, because there are huge crowds, Black Friday shopping can be very time-consuming. Without some planning, shoppers can attempt to get to too many stores and miss out on the deals they really want.
So how can Black Friday shoppers save money, avoid impulse shopping, and get the most out of their shopping experience? Here are a few tips.
How to Resist Black Friday Impulse Spending
First, come armed with a Christmas or holiday shopping list. Before Black Friday, shoppers should spend some time creating a list of approximately what to buy for all the people on their list. Then, when shoppers come face to face with some fabulous deal on a gourmet quesadilla maker, but realize that no one on their list could possibly want this, the need to impulse shop is squelched.
Second, set a budget. Shoppers can determine the maximum amount of money to spend on Black Friday, or the maximum amount of money to spend on each gift recipient. This will help to squelch the urge for expensive items that seem like they're too good a deal to pass up.
Of course, if impulse buying feels way too hard to resist completely, smart Black Friday shoppers can set aside a small budget for impulsive random purchases. This might lead to a single unnecessary quesadilla maker, but hopefully not to a big pile of unwanted junk.
How to Maximize Black Friday Savings
First, read the ads! Thanksgiving Thursday papers are loaded with circulars that display every sale in town. If further research is needed, use the Internet. Compare prices and figure out who has the best deals.
Second, make a shopping plan and set priorities. With all the deals that abound, it's unlikely that even the most industrious shoppers will have time to purchase them all, especially because of the crowds. Smart Black Friday shoppers need to decide what items they need most and that will save them the most money, and make these items the priority.
Of course, Early Bird Shopper Discounts can save shoppers quite a bit of money. These are bargains that stores run very early in the morning to get people in their doors. Be wary, though, and resist impulse buying.
For truly industrious Black Friday shoppers, team shopping may be in order. Jody can raid the WalMart sale, while her sister Lori hits Best Buy, and sister-in-law Jamie shops at Macy's, and everyone can meet up and exchange three of the hot items from each store. This can be a useful way to take advantage of multiple Early Bird Shopper Discounts.
In addition, shoppers should spend a little time investigating deals. One store might have an item that costs $50 more than another store. On closer investigation, though, shoppers may discover that the cheaper item is actually a scaled-down version of the more expensive one, and therefore is not such a great bargain.
Black Friday Money-Saving Strategies
For many Americans, Black Friday has become a fun tradition and a great way to save a little money. By spending the time to avoid impulse spending and to to maximize savings, this chaotic shopping day can cut down the cost of holiday shopping for smart shoppers.
See also:
History of Black Friday Shopping
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