Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, also the fourth Friday of November. It’s also equivalent to Alibaba’s November 11 (11.11) sales and the UK’s Boxing Day sales. Most people get a 4 day weekend holiday during Thanksgiving and Black Friday which is not the best idea since I’ll have ample time sitting at home clicking on ‘place order’. Most E-commerce stores have pre-Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving day itself. If you’re like me, I’m not busy on Thanksgiving day so I have a lot of time checking out what I want to get on various stores online or watching tv or just do both. I’m no expert on shopping or Black Friday shopping but I’ve learned a thing or two to not miss out on good deals from past experience and here are some tips that I can share.
Black Friday Shopping Tips!
Prepare a wishlist in advance
Time is of the essence, you wouldn’t want to waste even one second of your 24 hours gathering a list of items you’ve been wanting to get since January. However, you need to be careful, our list is never going to end, mine seems to be getting longer each day. I’m not just buying personal items like makeup or clothing but also for my home like rugs, a tv, etc. Remember to limit your list to what’s most important and keep checking for promo codes! You don’t want to overspend in just one day…
Black Friday is also a good time to buy holiday gifts, birthday gifts, Valentine’s Day gifts! So remember to list down what you’re buying for who. There are various apps out there (if you’re a digital person) to keep track of what you want to buy like Google Keep, One Note or if you’re a pen a paper person, write it down in your notebook!
Plan where to shop
New York City is a huge city, getting from one shop to another can be a 20 min train ride, which means you’ve just lost 20 mins of your shopping time. After preparing a list of what you want to buy, it’s easier to plan your journey through the city. Black Friday is not the day to stroll around and just walk in a store (you can but you’re going to lose your patience as soon as you step it). There are people who starts queueing in front of stores on Thanksgiving day itself. Trying to shop for clothes in a retail store on Black Friday isn’t the best idea, you’ll probably have to wait at least 30 mins in front of the fitting room just to try on the clothes that you want. On top of that, another 15-20 minutes at the cashier just to pay for your purchase.
Just shop online.
Shop online and get cashback
Shopping these days is so easy. You can avoid the crowd, sit in your comfy chair and after a couple of clicks, there you go, it’s on the way to you. And that, my friend, is dangerous because once you start, you’ll have a hard time trying to stop yourself.
To make yourself feel better when you’re shopping online, try using Rakuten Ebates to get cashback and any shopping rewards. You can get the Chrome extension and when you’re at the online store, it’ll notify you how much cashback you can get at that store. Even on normal days, I love using Rakuten Ebates just to get a little more money back on what I’ve spent shopping online.
Check out the products in the store
Do your homework! For products like cosmetics, you’d want to check it out in the store before you purchase it online. Take foundation, for example, there may be 12 different shades of the same product and you don’t want to take the chance and get the wrong shade at a discounted price. So try it in-store, get the right shade and it’ll be delivered to your doorstep if you choose to purchase online.
Related posts:
For larger items like a tv or dining chairs, I like to see what the product actually is like instead of purchasing it online, receiving it and not liking it. That’ll be a real hassle for me to want to return it since I don’t drive.
Return Policies
This is the time of the year that return policies are tweaked a little. Most stores do not accept returns for accessories such as earrings, jewelry, hats – which I completely understand. Some may even extend their return policies due to the holidays, nevertheless, make sure you keep an eye out for them. And don’t forget to keep your receipts!
Lastly,
If you’re planning to hit the stores on Nov 23, make sure you get ample rest the night before. You know what they say, the early bird gets the worm. I hope my Black Friday shopping tips is of good help and whether we’re on our feet on in our pajamas or rushing to retail stores, happy shopping to us all!
I’m in Indianapolis, Indiana and I can only imagine what it would be out in New York on Black Friday, wow. That’s one of the reasons I started shopping early this year I’m nearly done with my kids gifts. But these are great gifts to help me shop on actual Black Friday I get so overwhelmed and maybe it’s because I usually just wing it. Thanks!!
Adding to the cart is such a good idea, speeds up the whole process on the day!
It definitely will! But places like Asos will only hold it for an hour in the cart.. will have to quick on the day itself then.
These are great tips for shopping on Black Friday! I always look forward to shopping that day. It’s a great day to grab some amazing deals. I just wish I had more money to spend on myself, too. lol!
Yes! Black Friday this year just isn’t the same, I was pretty disappointed ☹️
I’m going to be giving Black Friday a miss this year (and actually did last year too) but I will remember these tips for next time! Thanks for sharing.