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| Sorry, the man isn't for sale. :) |
“Black Friday”. It's a nickname for
the biggest Christmas shopping day of the year. It usually refers to
the day stores make the most profits (get “into the black”), but
I think “black” should also refer to what color the sky is at
4am. That's the time you'll see people lined up out in front of
stores so they can fight to get X Hot Toy before anyone else. Many
stores are starting their big sales Thanksgiving evening to cut down
on the chaos but, regardless of when you shop, there's still a lot to
think about that you might not otherwise. If you do decide to shop,
here are a few ways to get the best out of Black Friday.
-Create a plan of attack. Map out which
stores to go to and when. Make a budget and stick to it. If you can,
“Like” a store or product's Facebook page or look for special
coupons online. Sometimes manufacturers will offer rebates or
discount codes to people who visit their website.
-Decide what items you need and don't
need. Know exactly what you're looking for beforehand and budget
accordingly. Stores are very good at getting people buy things on
impulse, which means you could spend a lot more money than you
planned to. Also, it helps to have a “backup plan” in case what
you came for is sold out, because it probably will be unless you're
one of the first five people in the store. Don't push and shove other
people to get to things. Whatever it is, it's not worth someone (you
or another person) getting hurt over.
-Do your research. Not everything is a
good deal. Things like coats, non-bundled gaming units (meaning, just
the console and basic controllers as opposed to the console,
controllers, several games and advanced controllers like motion
sensors or step pads) and some decorations go down in price as it
gets close to Christmas, so waiting might actually give you more
savings.
-Join forces with a friend so you can
help each other get what you want. Take shifts standing in line,
stake out different sections of the store or help with loading and
unloading items can save you a lot of time and money.
-Bring sale papers and other ads for
the things you are looking for. That way, you can ensure you're
getting the advertised price for whatever item you want. Also, some
stores have a price-matching guarantee. Read the fine print, though,
because there may be exclusions you'd want to know about.
-Ask for a gift receipt and keep
abreast of the store's refund or exchange policies.
-Don't forget that most major retailers
have sales online as well. This isn't the “Cyber Monday” thing so
much as having the exact same sale (or better) on Black Friday as the
brick-and-mortar store. I would personally rather shop online because
it keeps me away from the chaos and allows me to send my
long-distance family's gifts directly from the site rather than me
having to lug everything to the post office.
And, for what a lot of us forget;
-Please remember that the employees are
people too. My stepbrother is a
manager of a Walmart in North Carolina and once got punched in the
face by an old lady when he told her they were out of a certain item.
To give perspective, my stepbrother is just over six feet tall and
pretty well-built. Just because they are out of something right then,
that doesn't mean they won't get a shipment in later or
reduce the price as it gets closer to Christmas.
Sure, they might not be at the “door-buster” prices, but they're
still usually less expensive than they'd normally be.
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