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Can you smell the savings in the air? You should, because Black Friday is around the corner again, and for some deal enthusiasts it can’t get here fast enough.
Black Friday has been a growing phenomenon for a long time, and now it’s become a full-blown American tradition. Call it what you will, but we love shopping and we love saving money.
If you’ve not been on the Black Friday band wagon, or if you think Black Friday is a dying trend, think again. One graphic shows that Black Friday spending has grown fairly consistently over the past 10 years, and with retailers continuing to invest in Black Friday sales, you can bet it’s not going to decline anytime soon.
With average Black Friday discounts at stores like JCPenney and Kohl’s climbing above 60% off, it’s no wonder shoppers line up for hours on end and sacrifice wee-morning hours to get Black Friday specials.
Well, if you’re looking to save some serious cash this Black Friday weekend, you’re going to need a few pointers. So here are 7 tips to help you save the most money this Black Friday weekend.
Know where to look for the deals
Perhaps one of the biggest factors of saving money on Black Friday is knowing where to shop. Every retailer is different, and some are flat out known for offering larger savings. You could start by simply comparing Black Friday ads, you can search online to see which stores offer the best discounts, or you can check out this article from WalletHub that compares average discounts per retailer to help you get a better idea as to where you should focus your efforts.
Use Black Friday apps and website
With technology being what it is today, it would behoove you to use a Black Friday app and/or a Black Friday website in order to help you keep track of all the deals. After all, you’re on a limited time frame with Black Friday deals, so these apps and websites will help you get the most out of your weekend.
Blackfriday.com is a good place to start, then search either the iOS or Android app store for “Black Friday” to see which apps have the highest ratings. Here’s a review of Black Friday apps to help get you started.
Shop online first (or during)
Many stores are offering their Black Friday specials on the websites as well this year, so shopping those deals before you head out to your favorite stores could help you land some deals you otherwise would have missed.
You’re also likely to be waiting for a while wherever you decide to shop, so you might as well carry your phone or some kind of mobile device in order to multitask your way to big savings.
Price match where available
You may not know this, but some retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond and Neweggshould match the prices of their competitors – even during Black Friday sales (their price match policy hasn’t traditionally excluded Black Friday, but that could change over time).
Once you decide which stores you’ll be shopping, check their price matching policy. And even if their price matching policy excludes Black Friday, it never hurts to ask while you’re making your purchase. Sometimes you never know until you ask.
Know which items to look for
Another important thing to keep in mind is which items are typically sold at higher discounts. Sometimes you might have a tendency to get “caught in the weeds” of all the sales and prices, and end up with deals that really aren’t that great. The first step to prevent that is to know which items or categories to look at first.
For example, WalletHub shows that Black Friday deals tend to be focused on toys, apparel, and appliances. However, I would encourage you to do your own research by scanning through the ads and doing the math ahead of time just to make sure you’re getting the best deals.
Teamwork makes the dream work
You can’t be everywhere at once, and you can’t do everything yourself. That’s why you need someone to help you hit as many sales as possible. Get together, compare lists, devise a game plan, then divide and conquer. You’ll end up with many more deals and much less stress.
Plan ahead
This may seem like a no-brainer, but having a detailed plan before setting out on your Black Friday excursion can make all the difference. You need to know what items to look for, which stores to shop at, when and what you’re going to eat (yes, you will need to eat) and umpteen other details regarding the when, where, and how of your Black Friday shopping.
As previously mentioned, using Black Friday apps and websites can make a huge difference when it comes to saving time, so use them as much as possible.
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