Preparing for Battle: Your Black Friday Strategy Guide
Black Friday is commonly known in the retail market to be the busiest shopping day of the year. With this knowledge, retailers across the country are preparing their stores to present limited time special offers and sales for customers eagerly awaiting the opportunities. With this mega event right around the corner, now is the time for you to prepare yourself for this shopping extravaganza! By following the recommendations is this strategy guide, you will ensure you load your car with as many of the best deals possible for your holiday shopping with the least amount of stress as possible.
Preparing for Black Friday Shopping
The most important step in this strategy is to be fully prepared for the day’s events. Before the close of business on Wednesday you need to check your balances in your checking accounts, credit cards and store loyalty programs to ensure you have the funding you need to carry out the shopping planned. While checking your balances, make sure you have some excess funds available for those deals that you did not plan for but simply could not resist when you come across them in-store. Make sure any deposits or account transfers are completed by the end of business Wednesday. Failure to do so could result in overdraft fees or declined transactions during the trip.
On Thursday try not to do a whole lot of running around town. The only necessary trip if not already done on Wednesday would be to fill up the gas tank in the car to avoid long lines and delays on Friday. At some point in the day, you need to map out a plan of the stores you want to hit and in what order. By using the websites and newspaper inserts of the stores you wish to shop at, you can determine where you can find the deals you want and what time of the day each deal begins. You would then draw a map of the route you will take and list what time you need to get to each store to secure the best chance for getting your desired deals. After you get your fill at the dinner table, go to bed early to ensure plenty of rest. This way you can rise early Friday morning and be fully energized for a day full of shopping.
Items to carry during Black Friday Shopping
There are a few necessities you will want to bring along with you during your shopping event on Black Friday. The most important of these items is your checkbook. While credit and debit cards are very popular for making purchases, this weekend is notorious for processing delays and system crashes caused by the overload of transactions being processed nationwide. Carrying a checkbook enables you the option to have an alternate method of tender readily available when problems arrive with the credit card terminals. This also makes it easier to track your spending throughout the day as well.
The next item that you will want to carry with you is a cell phone. Not only for cases of emergencies if you get stranded along the way, but also to communicate with your friends and family who may be in other stores to stay informed of last minute deals. Another very important item to carry with you is store circulars for the sales taking place. In many cases, retailers will match the prices of other stores on identical items during this sale. Bring the ad with you in each store to ensure you get the best deal possible in every stop of the trip.
Deals to look for on Black Friday
The most common sales to be on the lookout for when it comes to Black Friday sales are in the electronics department. Typically we will find last year’s computers, televisions, and gaming systems reduced to pennies on the dollar. This is done to rid the inventory of older models to make room for the incoming newer ones. It is also common to find specials in electronics where you can either buy or pre-order the newest gaming system and receive some sort of promotional bonus.
Other items that are best to keep an eye out for during this sale can include housewares such as toasters, crockpots and appliances. While the brands of these items may not always be the best, we always see pallets of these items in the aisles for a fraction of what is typically available in-store the rest of the year. Finally, keep an eye out for cheap odd-ball stocking stuffer items. There is always an assortment of unusual items that we may not normally think to shop for as gifts during the holidays. However, when we see them, we instantly know of someone who would love to have it.
By following the suggestions in this strategy guide, you will find that Black Friday shopping can be an enjoyable experience. If I could offer a parting thought it would be thisâÂ?¦Don’t get distracted too greatly by the savings of Black Friday, be sure to be equally prepared to log online for the other great savings expo of the yearâÂ?¦Cyber Monday!
