WinCU Family & Friends Blog

Thanksgiving is this week already! And that means the biggest shopping day of the year is upon us.  Black Friday offers some of the best deals of the year, but how do you know you’re getting the lowest price?  Get too caught up in the Black Friday hustle and you may pay too much for so-called fantastic bargains…or, you may not recognize a really great deal right in front of you.

Here are 10 – Black Friday shopping tips to help maximize your chances of scoring the best deals on the items you want!                                         

Do Your Research and Go Prepared:  In order to snag the best deals do your research early and come up with a game plan.  Make a list of items you want to buy, research what they normally sell for, what the advertised sale price is and where you plan on going to get them.

Believe it or not many stores have leaked Black Friday ad scans available online weeks before the paper comes out. You can find these ads on sites such as bfads.net , blackfriday.com , bestblackfriday.com , Dealnews.com .

Also make sure to note the different times the deals you are looking to get will be available.  As some store will have certain doorbusters or deals start and run and select times throughout the day only.

Retailers also offer limited deals on items during the weeks leading up to Black Friday so be sure to check out all the specials running during the week as well, as some might just be better then the Black Friday day deals.

Create a Budget and Stick to it: It is very easy to go over budget on Black Friday as most stores offer the limited quantity doorbuster specials to get you into the store only to try and get you to buy more.  This is where it is very important to try and resist impulse buying and stick to your budget and your plan of action.

Divide and Conquer:  It may be hard for one person to grab all the deals, especially the ones starting at the same time at different places and only offer limited quantity.  So if your family or friends are into Black Friday shopping maybe you could consider a divide and conquer approach.  Where you can offer to pick up certain items at one store while they pick up another item at a different store, so you can take advantage of multiple store deals without having to rush all over town. 

Use Loyalty Programs: Most stores that offer loyalty programs have special sales or deals for loyalty members, where you can earn extra rewards points for purchases or offer members only coupons or discounts.  So be sure to research ahead of time which stores offer these and sign up if you are not a member so you are all set for Black Friday.  Kohl’s is a perfect example of this.

Compare Prices:  When doing your research be sure to check out comparison shopping websites to insure deals you find are the best.  Some sites include: PriceGrabber.com , Shopping.com , FatWallet.com , Google Shopping and NexTag.com . If you find your item for the same price online currently as what it is advertised for on sale during Black Friday then you can just buy it now online and avoid the crazy lines at the stores.

If you use Google Chrome or Firefox browser you can also download a really cool price comparison extension called PriceBlick , you can install this safely to your browser and when you are searching for items it will tell you if that item is cheaper someplace else, it also lets you know what coupons are available for that retailers online website that you are searching on.

Use Discount Cards or Coupons:  Want to get to the next level of savings?  Combine the store sale with discounted gift cards or coupon.  You can go to Raise.com and buy gift cards at a percentage off of the retail value. So right now they have TJ Maxx Gift Cards available for 14% off of what they are worth. So you would be saving an additional 14% when you use the gift card.

Also don’t forget some of the ads on Black Friday might have a coupon for a percentage off your purchase or if you are on their email list they might send you a coupon, so be sure to bring that with you when you check out.

Technology is Your Friend:  Now-a-days smartphones are awesome tools when it comes to shopping for deals.  Not only can you make your shopping list digital using Evernote or Google Drive, but you can also do a quick price comparison check right there in the store by scanning the barcode.  The Amazon App is one I use all the time when I am shopping, another one is ShopSavvy App  where you can compare the price of an item to more online stores then just Amazon’s current price.

Don’t Assume a Doorbuster is a deal:  Doorbuster items are there to lure in customers and are normally sold for below the retailer’s cost, however most often they are off brand products, some of which were created just for Black Friday type events.  These products might come with lower than e standard specs from the manufacturer’s line and not have all the bells and whistles you are looking for.  The Black Friday TV or Laptop deals are great examples of this.  Just make sure you do your research before buying these items.

Stay Fueled:  A long day of shopping can get exhausting, add on the craziness of Black Friday and you could get irritated much easier. So be sure to bring along some snacks and water for the day to keep you alert and feeling great!  Also make sure you don’t overdo it during the Thanksgiving night sales and you get enough sleep so you are ready to wake up early and get to shopping!

Take the discount and balance transfer: If the retailer offers a substantial discount for using their credit card use it.  BUT, then do a fee-free balance transfer after the holiday to a low-rate credit card like WCCU’s Visa which offers a rate as low as 9.9%! The average department store rate, even for consumers with the best credit is 19%!  No purchase is a bargain if you are paying 19% interest!  It’s been said some retailers make more money off their credit cards than store sales.  I believe it.

What are your Black Friday Holiday tips? Comment below to share them with us!  Great Shopping Everyone!