If you love shopping, Black Friday is the ultimate holiday for you. It’s the only day of the year when major retailers like Target, Macy’s, and Walmart cut their prices just as much as they do on Cyber Monday! It’s your chance to score the latest must-have tech gadgets, toys, clothes, and more at rock-bottom prices. If you plan to shop online during Black Friday, follow these seven steps to make sure you get the best deals.
Prepare Your Shopping List in Advance
It’s always a good idea to make a list of all your holiday sale deals before you start shopping. What if something you want goes out of stock while you’re browsing? Are you ready with your next best choice? Don’t wait until it’s too late; be prepared and check your list often while shopping online.
Compile Black Friday Ads Beforehand
Beforehand, you can save time by checking out all of the ads on your favorite shopping sites. Think of it as an early-bird special: you’ll be able to compare prices across various retailers and get a sense for what kind of deals are available. This can help you decide whether or not it makes sense to buy in bulk. If only a few sellers have online shop discounts, then you may end up spending more money overall even if your per-item costs are lower.
Watch For Last Minute Deals
To get in on some of those last minute deals, watch Twitter and Facebook. Retailers will often announce special sales or coupons through social media in order to draw in additional shoppers. These are usually time-sensitive offers that expire quickly, so if you’re not paying attention, you may miss them entirely. On Twitter and Facebook, users often post screencaps of their online orders as proof that they got a good deal.
Don’t Buy Unnecessary Items
There’s nothing wrong with treating yourself during a big sale, but make sure you only buy items that you need. If you don’t need something and it doesn’t fit into your budget, then don’t buy it! As much as we all love shopping for new clothes and shoes and other fun things, it is important to remember that not every purchase will be beneficial for your wallet in the long run.
Also, if you’re going to spend more than $50 on any item (such as electronics), consider using a credit card that gives cash back rewards. This way, even though you’ll be charged interest on your purchase when you pay off your balance at the end of each month, you can recoup some of those costs through rewards points or cash back.
Register for Emails
Yes, retailers want you to think you’ll miss out if you don’t sign up for their emails. But there are plenty of bargains that won’t be sent straight to your inbox, so it may make sense to sign up even if you don’t intend to read every email. It also means these companies have access to your inbox so that they can reach out with special offers, which may be a worthwhile trade-off for many people.
Use Deal Sites
If you’re in the market for a new cell phone, a flat-screen TV or some other expensive electronic item, start your research early by checking out deal sites. Sites like Groupon, Nextag and LivingSocial offer deep discounts on merchandise from major retailers. So they often have some of the best Black Friday deals around. However, these coupons can only be redeemed online. If you really want to snag a bargain, it might make sense to shop at midnight from your couch in your pajamas.
Follow Famous Stores Known for Black Friday deals
Stores like Amazon, Walmart, Macy’s, eBay, Target and Kohl’s are all known for their Black Friday deals. It is a good idea to follow these stores because they will be posting deals as early as October. Also, some of these stores have apps that you can download so you can get notifications when they post new deals.
Final Thoughts
Shopping online is a simple and convenient way to save money during Black Friday. But with all of these deals popping up across every website, it can be hard to find out what’s actually worth buying. Follow these Black Friday hacks, and you’ll make sure you get nothing but great deals for your holiday shopping!
