SmartShopper

Black Friday shopping tips and sneak peek ads!

Multiple new Black Friday ads have been posted in the last few days. You can now see the sneak peek ads for stores including Best Buy, Toys R Us, Old Navy, Walmart, Target, Kohl's, Costco, the drug stores and more! Read on for the details and a number of tips to help you survive Black Friday!

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Multiple new Black Friday ads have been posted in the last few days. You can now see the sneak peek ads for stores including Best Buy, Toys R Us, Old Navy, Walmart, Target, Kohl's, Costco, the drug stores and more!

Head to BFAds.net or BestBlackFriday.com for all the ads.
Price Comparison Feature: If you know what you want to buy and you want to compare prices from different stores, go to BFAds.net and type in the product name in the Serch box. Then a list of stores that have that item in their ads and the price will be shown. You can be as specific as you want in order to narrow down the list or simply enter a keyword like Plasma to see all the plasma TV's on sale.

I'll have the specific drug store Black Friday ads posted soon including coupon match-ups.

Black Friday Shopping Tips

Here are some additional tips I have posted each year to help you save more of your money AND your sanity during Black Friday shopping!

Make Your List: Before you step foot in the store or log onto a company website, make a list of all the people for whom you are buying gifts. As you locate the gift you want to buy, write it down next to the person’s name. Make sure you include the store name as well so you know where to get the gift. Once you actually buy the gift, check it off on the list. If you can wrap and label the gift the same day you buy it, you will have much less stress the night before the holiday when you may have many gifts to wrap.
Black Friday Websites: Planning for Black Friday doesn’t have to start the day before Thanksgiving, when many of the Black Friday sales ads are in the newspaper. There are a number of websites who post the Black Friday ads early, giving shoppers a chance to decide what stores are offering the best deals on the items they want. You can see links to some of them above.
Plan Your Shopping: Once you decide what stores and deals to target, you want to map your route. Last year I only went to 2 stores for Black Friday shopping, so it was a quick and easy mission. Because I could see the sales ads early, I knew just where I wanted to go and what items I wanted to buy. Some folks go to many stores, though and it’s important to prioritize your shopping. If any of the best buys you want are going to be available online, that’s a great way to avoid the crazy crowds and early hours. Some stores start their Black Friday sales online on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day), allowing you to completely avoid waiting in line at 5:00 am on Friday. If you do need to get your desired items at the store, decide what deals you really want and be at those stores when they open. The best buys go quickly and most stores don’t issue rainchecks for the deeply discounted items. Then decide what stores you will go to and in what order. Some families divide and conquer with mom going to one set of stores and dad going to another at the same time. Tip: let the kids sleep at Grandma’s the night before so you can get out and about without shopping “assistance” from the little ones.
Know the Policies: Make sure you know the policies on returns before you buy. I also suggest getting gift receipts just in case the sweater doesn’t fit or the little one received 5 of the same toy. If your local store allows price matching, take advantage of this policy. During Black Friday, though, not all stores allow price-matching, even if that is their everyday policy. Some people buy items before the big sales and then plan to return them on Black Friday and immediately re-buy them at the lower sale price. Some stores will allow this and some will not. Some stores who allow this during regular weeks will not allow it on Black Friday. If you are planning to do the return and re-buy game, make sure the store will allow you to repurchase the item at the sale price.
Shopping Day: If you approach Black Friday with a great attitude and sense of adventure, it can be lots of fun.

* Shop with a friend to enjoy the experience even more.

* Try not to get caught up in the greediness that sometimes rears it’s ugly head when there is a good deal on a 1000” TV or $20 computer. Enjoy the deals you do get and try not to trample anyone.

* Important - bring snacks and drinks. I know it sounds strange, but if you plan on going to multiple stores, early in the morning, you are going to need something to eat and drink. You need to keep up your energy for all that power shopping! You’ll also save time (and money) if you don’t have to stop for breakfast.

* Wear comfortable shoes so you can get from store to store without aching feet.

* Make sure you also stay safe. Try not to shop alone in the wee hours of the morning, if possible.

Please share any other Black Friday tips you have. Good luck to all the Black Friday shoppers out there!


 

 

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