Top 10 Black Friday Shopping Tips

[njiang46]

Just saw this article on Exchange For Green, and thought it was pretty helpful to me. Hope it helps you.

1. Look at Online Buying Guides first
For those of you who already have your desired items in mind (TV, Laptop, Camera, Printer, GPS, Vacuum Machine, etc), there are existing Black Friday buying guides for each popular category, so that you only need to do minimal research.

2.    Start your Black Friday on Thursday
A lot of the big stores will have most of their Black Friday sales online from Thursday, until the following Monday. Avoid the crowd by shopping Black Friday Deals Online.

3.    Plan Ahead, Know Your Stores
Go to the stores on Wednesday (many are closed on Thursday) and make sure you know where the sections you’ll need are located.  This will ensure you to grab the best deals within minimal time.

Different stores have different opening times. Make sure you have a clear plan on which one to go first, second, and third, etc…

4.    Do Price Comparison Online Before You Go
Sometimes you will be spending the whole Black Friday morning buying things you thought are cheap, only to find that they are actually cheaper online.  Do the price research online first before you go.

5.    Bring the Black Friday Ads
Be sure to have the Black Friday ads on hand.  It’s not only for your own reference; many stores have price match policy, so you can show them the exact product in other stores which could be being advertised for less.

6.    Free After Rebate Items

There are a lot of Free After Rebate Items during Black Friday Sale. However, do remember to submit the rebates on time, and also keep a copy of the rebate form in case your rebate mail gets lost.

7.    Go to the Less Crowded Store
It may take you longer to drive to a store which is further away and located in a less populated city, but that extra drive might worth it — you will find less people in the store and have better chance to get that hot item you want.

8.     Bring Someone Along with You
Remember that long checkout line? It would be nice if someone comes along with you and start in that line while you are in the store fetching things….

9.    Go For the Less Popular Items First
This one might surprise a lot of you, but sometimes you should go for the less popular items first! If you get into the store very late and don’t feel you have a good chance of getting the really hot items, change your strategy and go for the less popular items first.

10.    Use the Credit Card with Best Protection
You never know what will happen to your Black Friday purchase. Always use the credit card with the best Warranty Coverage, return protection, and sale price protection — Some of the credit card companies will offer this protection and refund you the difference if a product you buy is marked down further than the price you paid within a certain time frame (usually 60 days).