Tips to Black Friday Shopping

With Black Friday days away I am sitting here plotting where I am going to go and which store I will hit up first.  This will be my third year out in the craziness of the busiest shopping day of the year.  In the past I have been to Best Buy and the mall.  This year I am revising my plan.  Here’s some tips I will use to make sure I get the most out of this day without spending money on “deals” that I don’t need.

• Make a List – Sit down and write down names and a budget for people you are shopping for.  Put that list in your wallet so you don’t forget to take it with you on Friday.
• Look Through Ads – Check online for Black Friday deals and check the paper.  With the ads and the list you can match people to gifts while your brain is calm and not in the midst of Black Friday madness.
• Clip Your Coupons -  Look for coupons to stores like Macys or Bed Bath & Beyond.  Make sure you take them with you.  Nothing worse than going to a store and knowing you have the coupon at home. Heck even take coupons with you to stores you may not normally shop at.  You just might find yourself there or maybe you can give one to a stranger. Don’t forget some stores require you to use their store credit card to use the coupon, so make sure you have the card with you if you need it.
• Prioritize - Group your gift ideas in to categories and go to the store where you can get the most gifts out of the way first.  For example if you are giving lots of video games, hit up Best Buy.  If you are giving lots of clothes, then you’ll want to be at the mall early. You get the idea.
• Dress in Layers -  When you leave the house, it will be cold, but you will get HOT with all the shopping you are going to be doing.
• Handbag - I would advise you take a purse that has a shoulder strap so you can use your forearms to carry shopping bags instead of your purse. Make sure your purse has been emptied out and only has the essentials. (Wallet, coupons, list, credit cards)  You want to do this for a few reasons.  First, it’s less to carry.  Second, this is an insane day.  You might be rushed and leave your purse behind.  Best to not have everything you normally carry in there. Third – crime typically goes up during the holidays.  Protect yourself and only take what you need.
• Feed Your Face – Take a snack with you and have a water bottle in the car.  The restaurants usually have a big line too so you don’t want to waste time waiting in that when you could be out shopping.
• Save Your Receipts – I can’t even tell you how important this is.  What you think is cool on Friday may not be the week before Christmas.  Don’t get stuck with gifts you didn’t end up giving.
• Gift Receipts – Let the clerks know BEFORE your transaction that you want gift receipts.  This can help keep the line moving along. Put the gift receipts in the bag with the items you are buying and put your receipt in a safe spot in your purse or wallet.
• Patience is a Virtue -  If you don’t have patience and a light heart on Friday you will be seriously irritable and frustrated.  The crowds are MAD.  People are in a hurry and the good deals go quick.
• Use Your Manners -  Thank the sales clerks for being there.  Most of them had to get up at 4am to be at work for you to experience the shopping day from hell.
• Wrapping - Ask for gift boxes.  Chances are the stores will be out of them later in the season.  Get extra if you can.
• Friends - Go with friends. It’s so much more fun to do this in a group. Unless of course you are all after the same item.

So, when you get home…after you nap….go through each item you bought, double check your list.  Attach the gift receipt to the item’s tag so you don’t mix them up later.  If you aren’t wrapping at that moment, use a post it to label who the gift was for in case you lose the list you made earlier.

My plan this year is to hit up Target.  They have such a variety of items, that I think I can get a good size chunk out of the way before I hot the mall.

Good luck and Happy Shopping!!