Black Friday

Shopping On Black Friday

For many people the day after Thanksgiving is ‘the day’ to do Christmas shopping. If this sounds like you planning for the big day may be part of the process. In fact, you may have to get up early in order to catch the sales of the day. Stores offer extreme discounts on Black Friday and many of them start at zero-dark-thirty-am! This is definitely a time when the early bird gets the worm – or at least, the best deal!

Getting Prepared

Besides being armed with a list of gift ideas you should obviously try to get plenty of rest the night before. One of the benefits of gathering with friends and family on Thanksgiving Day is that it gives you the perfect opportunity to quiz everyone about what they would like for Christmas or to get information about sizes, color preferences, etc. Plus, because you will be so busy on Thanksgiving Day, you will likely want to go to bed early – which will make it easier to rise and shine for the earlier morning sales.

Be Where You Need To Be First

Like any worth doing – this is worth doing well – and that means you should take the effort to plan your time. Try to find out which stores are having special discounts on the items you need or want at which times. Many stores publish their bargain sales several days before Black Friday. They publish the bargain prices and store hours in major newspapers. Some stores also post their items on web sites. This makes it possible for you to go directly to the items you want, get them, pay for them and be out of the store in a short time. Plan ahead and strategize.

For example, if one store is offering a $100 discount on a TV that is usually $800 at 5 am and at the same time another store is promoting a $50 discount on a $300 stereo you will need to consider both the savings opportunities as well as your priorities. It is obvious that both stores will probably sell out of their discounted items – and you can’t be at 2 places at once. So decide which store is offering the best discount or the item that matters to you the most and go there first. Or, if possible, you go to one store and get a friend or family member to go to the other store.

Another Option

Some stores may offer their items online. The online prices might even be cheaper than the items in the stores. But do keep in mind that you only have a limited amount of time to spare – you should not waste time browsing through all the web sites. Use the online search features to find the items you need.

Consider This

One of the most practical gifts in many instances may be the gift card. This is a very practical and logical gift if you are not sure what would be the appropriate gift for the person. Gift cards are always available and in varying amounts. You can always find a gift card online.

Debbie Allen is a content writer that shares tips about holiday traditions. She believes real letters from Santa will help keep the magic of Christmas alive.