how to shop on black friday

When I tell people that I shop on Black Friday, I often hear a lot of “I never fight the crowds” or “The deals aren’t worth putting up with the chaos” but I disagree. I have said those same words before, but that was when I wasn’t prepared. Now I save loads of cash on Christmas gifts by being organized and here are some tips if you are ready to save money and brave Black Friday!

1) Know what you are looking for: the WORST thing you can do is head blindly into the mall or major stores at 5:00am without really knowing what you want. Those who are waiting in line that early should have a clear agenda of what they are going after. Most of those folks are going for limited in quantity items and typically in electronics. Target, for example, has a 32” LCD flatscreen TV next week for $250. If you are dead set on getting this item, go for it! But if you are browsing, be aware that there will be dozens of crazed shoppers pushing passed you aggressively going for the deal.  If you are randomly walking around, you may not think the deals are so great and definitely not worth waking up at 4:00am.

2) Make your Christmas list ahead of time, then find the deals accordingly. Last year, I knew I wanted to get my husband a shop vac and my parents a Sonicare toothbrush. I poured over the Black Friday ads to find these items at the best prices and…there they were! I saved $25 on the toothbrush and $50 on the shopvac. This year, my husband has already picked out the air compressor that he wants and it’s $100. I’ve since looked at the Lowe’s ad for next Friday and it’s going to be $59. How could I pass that up?

3) Don’t buy just to buy. The purpose of shopping on Black Friday is to save money. Now, when I saw that TV deal at Target, I thought, “Wow, that is a great deal and we could use it in our bedroom.” But the truth is, we don’t need another television and I really don’t need to just spend $250. Yes, there are some tempting bargains out there, but stick to your list and your budget and you will thank yourself in the end!

4) Look for coupons: Check your Sunday paper to find coupons. Many of these coupons expire around 10:00am so head to those stores first! Steinmart is having a $10 off a $25 purchase that is only good for 4 hours.

5) Spread out your shopping. Many stores have sales that last all weekend, so don’t fret about hitting every shop on Friday. Old Navy has great deals on items that last 3 days – starting on Thanksgiving day!

6) Research! Many websites are already printing the ads for Black Friday. Head to http://www.theblackfriday.com and also be sure to get the paper on Sunday!

I look forward to sharing some of my success from this years’ shopping excursion! Happy hunting everyone!