Black Friday Holiday Smart Shopping Tips

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Black Friday can be quite overwhelming with all the promotions going on, here is a rundown of my tips for surviving Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping

1.Black Friday isn't just "Friday", it's more like Black Friday Weekend. Most retailers have promotions running until the end of the weekend.
2. Shop online, the sales are the same and it's much quicker, plus you can use Ebates and earn some cashback on your purchases too! I walked out of many stores because the lineups were too long!
3. Go early in the morning to avoid getting tired, flustered and angry with all the shoppers. When I went out for Black Friday, the Toronto Eaton Centre was pretty empty in the morning/afternoon, come about 5-6pm it was a madhouse.
4. Buy now, decide later. Due to the long lineups in fitting rooms and checkout lanes it's a good idea to buy the items that you want and then return them later if you don't end up liking them or change your mind. Please note the return/exchange policy for each store.
5. Many retailers offer price adjustments, if you buy something and the price gets reduced you can get the difference back. I know Old Navy does this, within 14 days and I make use of it often, just keep your receipts in your wallet.
6. Price match. Lots of stores offer to price match a competitor's price to get your sale, if you know an item is  cheaper elsewhere ask the retailer to match the price, it saves you having to drive around everywhere.
7. Study the deals before heading out. We posted many of the Black Friday deals early, including sneak peeks of flyers. This is helpful so that you can strategize which stores you want to hit up and which to avoid. I also asked around at stores, leading up to Black Friday as to what their sales would be, for example Zara had no promotions for Black Friday, I knew that ahead of time so I didn't bother wasting my time.
8. Research the deals and know if a deal actually is... a deal to you. Every retailer has signs advertising their sales but it may not be that good of a deal.
9. Be savvy. If you can't find an item in your size buy it in any size, then come back after Black Friday/Cyber Monday craziness as worn off and exchange the item for the one that you want (applies to same item of course). That way you still get the item at the sale price.
10. Avoid it. This is my boyfriend's #1 tip. Black Friday isn't the only day to go holiday shopping, the deals will always be there, don't forget Cyber Monday or Boxing Day.