Black Friday shopping has gotten a whole lot easier.
Traditionally seen as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season,Black Friday—the day after Thanksgiving—lures customers from all over the country to give up sleep in search of jaw-dropping discounts. Data shows, however, that Black Friday has taken on a new form in recent years—retailers have shifted to offering discount deals earlier, in some cases October.
According to a survey conducted in 2010, 33.6 percent of Black Friday shoppers made purchases online, an increase of 15.2 percent from 2009. In total, 212 million shoppers scoured stores and websites in 2010, reaching a estimated total spending of $45 billion.To accommodate this shift towards Internet shopping, retailers have already opened Black Friday sales as early as this week. For example, Best Buy announced that it begin electronics sales starting this Friday, offering discounts such as $800 off a 70-inch LED HDTV.
Either way, whether you’re pulling an all-nighter or scavenging online, here are some tips for Dukies to have the best Black Friday experience possible.
Keep an eye out for advertisements beforehand.
Most major retailers will begin announcing (or leaking) their Black Friday specials a week or two beforehand. The best places to keep a tab on these deals are specific Black-Friday websites, such as blackfriday.info or theblackfriday.com. This will let you cross-reference different stores to make sure you on getting the best deal possible.
Sign up for retailers’ e-mail alerts
Store loyalty is an important concern for retailers. Signing up for e-mail alerts will not only give you an update on the latest deals but it’ll also give you access to exclusive store discounts that you would not have access to any other way.
Check the return policy
Retailers may change their return policy for Black Friday sales into “final sales.” In other words, the product you buy cannot be returned. Other stores may include shortened return policy, or add a restocking fee on a returned item.
Check the warranty
Some brand might use special models of their products during Black Friday sales, which offer different warranty standards than other sets. For example, the term of the warranty may be shorter, or there might be less coverage. Either way, make sure you are aware of the specific terms before you buy.
Watch out for Special discount bundles
Retailers put out specially marked deals, combining two or more items into package that “saves you money.” An important thing to do is to check the individual prices on the items to make sure that you are actually getting a great bargain. Sometimes, buying the items individually may be even cheaper than the bundle itself.
Buy the items you truly want
It’s easy to get sucked in by the allure of discount sales. Go into Black Friday with a specific idea of what items you need, not want. An item with a low price tag does not necessarily prove its usefulness. More likely than not, the extra items you buy on Black Friday will just end up stored away in the basement. At the end of day, you want to come home with a few items you really wanted and a pile of things you thought was a good deal.
Good luck and happy shopping!
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