5 Must Read Black Friday Tips

This must read Black Friday tip post was put together with many years of shopping experience.

I entered my first Black Friday line about 20 years ago, and a connection was made. Ever since that cold dark morning, I was hooked. Back in those days, stores actually gave away things, I mean real goodies. My first memory is an entire tin filled with cookies (which is awesome when you’re a kid). The best freebie I remember getting as I walked in the door- a Looney Tunes Polaroid camera with sticker film. And I LOVE Tweety Bird so this really left a lasting impression.

I continued to join in the mass shopping event every year, without fail. There was even one year when we were going out of town for Thanksgiving visiting family. Panic started…. what about Black Friday?! I told my mom that I needed to still be able to go shopping, or- well, I wasn’t going!
I was a minor so really she could have just made me go, but if you know me that wouldn’t have been a pleasant trip lol. So early Friday morning, we went shopping, found some amazing deals and drove home (a 12 hour drive) with a car filled with people and Christmas presents. That was a good time!

Consider buying a gift to donate to charity during this time when things are super discounted! I actually buy multiple gifts during this time, then look for places to donate or paper angels to match up my items too.

So let me share with you everything I’ve learned, mistakes to avoid and how to stay organized!
I’m getting so excited just writing this 🙂

1.First– get the apps. Download the apps and get on their email mailing list. This is a biggie. Every year, ads are being leaked earlier and eariler (yea). YOU want to be in the know. Another trend the past few years, stores are offering “pre” bf (Black Friday) sales.
Here’s the good news, get connected with a couple great apps/webmasters and THEY do a lot of the heavy lifting for you.
I use www.bfads.net and blackfriday.com and a few others. I strongly advise you have more than one as sometimes one gets info before the others.

2. Second– get organized! Once all ads are out online, go page by page and write down what you want to purchase from that store. Keep your list VERY organized. Title of store at the top, and each item list with the details (price, color, size, etc.)
Additionally, get the paper. Yes, the newspaper that is. Ads usually come out on Wednesday and Thursday (that’s Thanksgiving). Truth be told I usually have about 4 whole papers, here’s why: A few ads will end up in one major paper and not the other. Also, sometimes coupons are in the ad itself. Stein mart does this and you NEED the ad to use that coupon.

When you have all ads in hand, circle each item on the ads. Bring the ad to that store, every time. Amongst the craziness it is very possible for something to ring up at the wrong price. Don’t waste precious time waiting for a manger, them to retrieve their ad, and so on. Show them yours! Organize these (later) in the order you will shopping in.

3. Third- Prioritize. Hard reality, you probably won’t get every little thing on your list. Prioritize what is a must, most important. Then continue the ranking on every item. Do this for each store. It’s crucial to understand that shopping on Black Friday is a mission, not a leisure shopping experience. The ultimate goal is to save the MOST amount of money so remember to put those items with the most savings, limited availability or specially made for bf at the top of the list.

4. Fourth- Map it out. I like to use good old pen and paper and map out my route. It’s important to know the opening time of each store. Then you’ll need to cross reference your list of “wants” and again prioritize. Be aware, more stores are creating maps of where products are located. Print this and bring it with your ad, again mark the items on the map. Important to note, items are not usually in their “proper” place. For example, Walmart often times has all their sale DVDs/video games in the food section.
Your goal should be to enter the door and go directly to you item. No fooling around looking at all the other pretty things 🙂 My ideally time is 10 minutes in the store if everything goes according to plan. At 10 minutes after opening the lines are VERY low and allow for easy check out.
For the most part, if it’s a special item, a big savings or limited creation- it will be in the ad… it’s in their best interest to advertise it.

5. Fifth- Don’t get sucked into marketing games. I see it every year, people grab items on end caps, or in the big boxes. Surely it’s presenting itself like it’s special, it’s discounted just for this day… it has all the visual queues- you better buy me because I’m super inexpensive for just this day.
I wanna reach over and tell the person, “oh sweetheart, that will be the same price next week, next month”.
IF an item is majorly discounted it will be advertised. It is a company’s goal to info the public, and draw in business. Now with that said, some stores WILL advertise items that ARE actually regular priced.
*Look for clues: everyday price or compared to, and when in question- research!

Maybe I’ll see you out and about, give me a wave 😉