You know I like a good bargain and coming up later this month is one of my favorite shopping events…Black Friday! For those that have been been living in a bomb shelter or managed to escape the hype somehow, Black Friday in the shopping context is the day after Thanksgiving and is the start of the holiday shopping season.
Over the past decade or so with the proliferation of computers, game systems and personal electronics the game has been raised to include incredible bargains and competitive shopping (sadly, even violence at times). My holiday shopping budget is less than year, but I’m still in the market for a good bargain or two. Here’s a three step plan to a successful day.
Research
Black Friday ads are already being released by retailers and posted online. My favorite website is Black Friday 2009 which gets an updated name each year. They’ll email you when new ads are released. The first email of this year’s news was sent last month without having to sign up again. Other sites you might want to check out include BlackFriday.Info and Slick Deals.
Strategy
Now that you know what is on sale it’s time to create a plan for success. Identify the items you want to buy and prioritize. Identify which ones can be purchased at the retailer’s website. Last year the Boomer family rented a mountain cabin for the Thanksgiving weekend which meant we were hours away from a mall. I still managed to nab a number of Black Friday specials via Internet shopping.
Now figure out which stores you want to hit and note their opening times. Plan to attend in opening order, but make decisions on the priority list when you have more than 1 opening at the same time. Don’t forget to review the ads in your Thanksgiving Day newspaper to confirm your shopping list. This offers another option to another piece of pie or watching football.
Shop
Set your alarm for Black Friday and GET UP when it goes off. Seriously. I have second-guessed myself a time or two, but I’m never sorry. This is where pre-planning really helps. Who can make intelligent decisions at 4 am? Just follow the list and keep to your budget. Oh, and have fun!
If you want to know more about Black Friday check out Wikipedia for lots of tidbits. Do you shop on Black Friday? What’s your plan?
Photo by Enoch Lau
Content © Bucksomeboomer 2009. All Rights Reserved.
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Last year was the first time I experienced Black Friday. It was so crazy! You definitely have to go in with a plan, because I was so overwhelmed. Thanks for letting me in on your strategies, especially the insight on the Black Friday ads. They will definitely come in handy this year!
Netanya
Money Hackers Blog Ambassador
Netanya, it definitely can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t know what you’re getting. When it gets too crazy, I just go home!
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