Black Friday is coming earlier every year. The traditional start to the holiday shopping season was the Friday following Thanksgiving Thursday in the U.S.
With Walmart's announcement of an early Black Friday Sale the first weekend of November, shoppers will soon have numerous opportunities to shop early, and often. Target, JC Penney, Staples and Amazon are all joining Walmart in offering sales throughout the month of November.
Where to Find the Best Black Friday Deals
The first place to start when planning your Black Friday shopping experience is with a pen and paper. Make a list of the items you hope to buy during the upcoming holiday season. Try to keep your options open in your list. If you're looking for a large flat screen TV for a big family gift, maintaining flexibility on size and brand will allow more choices when sales are revealed.
The next step is to check your local newspaper and your computer. If you do not subscribe to your local Sunday paper, the Sunday before Thanksgiving is a good time to go out to the store and buy one. The paper will be full of sales circulars filled with Black Friday deals and some Early Bird specials. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving as well as the paper on Thanksgiving Day are also good to have on hand for final planning.
On the web, check out Black Friday Info. You can enter your e-mail address to receive an e-mail whenever a new deal is posted on the site. The site also runs Black Friday ads for nearly 100 major retailers from Aeropostale to Zales. Follow Black Friday Info on Facebook for a chance to enter contests and be the first to know of the sales throughout November and December.
Elsewhere on the web, Black Friday Ads offers hot deals, online steals and message boards for readers to share tips and secrets with one another. Black Friday.com suggests checking out Deals of America every hour throughout the year for great deals on everything from digital cameras and printers to t-shirts and DVD movies.
Holiday Shopping Tips for Black Friday
There are many suggestions for getting the most out of Black Friday shopping:
- Be prepared to start Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving Day. Many retailers lure people in with can't-be-beat deals.
- Group shop- split up and go to different stores with everyone's list.
- Check out an online price comparison site such as Price Grabber and Dealtime before hitting the stores
- Bring the ads with you in case there is a question about a published price. This is also useful if the store offers price matching. You may save yourself a trip to another store if you can show the current store a lower advertised price elsewhere.
- Shop with a friend in case you need to get out of the check-out line for a quick bathroom or snack break. If you're on your own, make friends with the people in line around you to hold places if needed.
- Use phone apps to help with holiday sales. Many retailers now offer apps to update you on deals and prices.
- Bring lots of patience, and maybe even something to keep you entertained like a book, music, or your laptop.
If you're not into the crowd scene, online shopping, especially on Cyber Monday (the Monday following Thanksgiving) is a great alternative. Follow the same tips like having a list, comparing prices and bringing lots of patience for slow sites and sold-out items.
Whether in-person or online, they are great deals to be had this holiday season.
Happy shopping!
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