Black Friday is an event that you either look forward to or dread for months leading up to it. It’s hectic, overwhelming, and sometimes more hype than savings, but you can also rack up on some unbelievable deals. To ensure you’re one of those looking forward to Black Friday and truly getting the biggest bang for your holiday dollars, follow our eight Black Friday strategic shopping tips and tricks.
Black Friday Strategy 101
Proactive planning is key to making Black Friday work for you, not the stores. It’s a strategy that will save you time, hassle, and money.
While there are thousands of Black Friday deals that will save you anywhere from a few dollars to thousands of dollars, many consumers get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Black Friday crowds and end up with spur of the moment purchases that aren’t really saving them money.
Our Black Friday strategy tips help you avoid this pitfall by planning out your trip. Plus, you’ll save time and effort along the way.
Eight Tips And Tricks To Make Your Black Friday A Success
1. What Do You Need And Want?
Knowing what you’re shopping for is key to avoid spur purchases driven by stores and other frenzied consumers. Make a list of your items. Make a budget for those items. Now, you have the first piece of your plan in place.
2. Where Will You Shop?
Black Friday circulars are leaked weeks, even months, in advance. You can also sign up for store email and reward programs and/or follow the store on social media to get Black Friday updates. Use sites like Google Shopping to easily compare prices, or you can use apps like Shopkick to scan prices in-store and compare.
Take a few weeks leading up to Black Friday to get prices for the items on your list. How much does the item sell for at various stores everyday. Use all your Black Friday price homework to discover where you’ll get the best deals.
3. Where Will You Shop?
In making a map of the stores you’ll hit for Black Friday sales, also consider your needs beyond sticker price.
Determine beforehand which stores will allow you to price match and use coupons in conjunction to the sale prices. If you use rebate apps, such as Ibotta, for extra savings, you may find that one store’s lower sticker price is mooted by another store participating in rebates.
You may also want to look at the store’s return policy as a consideration and how easy or hard the checkout process is for the store on Black Friday.
4. Are You On Task?
Again, one of the biggest pitfalls of Black Friday shopping is falling victim to the crowd mentality. You see others in a frenzy over an item and automatically assume you should be getting whatever deal they’re after.
Stay on task. You have a game plan. Don’t be distracted by what others or buying or by a store’s promotional efforts on Black Friday items not on your list.
5. When Will You Go?
A lot of big box stores have pre-sales prior to Black Friday. The catch is that not all items are included.
If you’re not careful, this could mean two trips to the store if all your items aren’t included in the pre-sale. Stores are also trying to differentiate their Black Friday opening and closing times to ensure they get customers first.
So, you’ll need to do your homework on each retailer’s sale hours and plan a shopping route accordingly. Prioritize which store you’ll start at by the most important items on your shopping list vs opening times.
6. Do You Have A Plan B?
Hot ticket items sell out quickly on Black Friday. You’ve already determined the ideal store to get the best deal on your item, but you should also have a contingency plan. Make a note of the second best store with the best price to increase your chances of obtaining your item for the price you want.
7. Who Are You Going Shopping With?
Shopping with friends and family on Black Friday can be a fun adventure, but it may also leave you disappointed in your Black Friday haul. It takes time and effort to stick together in a crowd or find and collect stragglers to move on to your next location. So, it’s best to go it alone unless you’re part of an organized Black Friday team.
8. What’s An Organized Black Friday Team?
Planning is everything when you’re trying to overcome crowds, timing, distractions and still get the best price, right? A Black Friday shopping team can help.
You get together with like-minded friends or family in the weeks leading up to Black Friday and share your shopping lists. Who is after the same items? Which stores are most important to each of you?
Each member is assigned a store to be at as it opens for the sale, and that team member will collect each member’s want list as other members are doing the same at their own assigned stores.
It’s divide and conquer, and it makes the Black Friday shopping experience fast and easy.
With these eight tips, anyone can make Black Friday a success. It’s all about knowing what you want and having the right game plan in place to get it.
