These seven Black Friday shopping tips can help you find the great deals when so much of what is on sale is pure hype. Personally, I focus on buying the household essentials my family needs that sell at rock bottom prices and frequenting my favorite consignment store and thrift shop where crowds are sparse and deals abound.
1. Browse the Ads Early
Websites like A Full Cup have compiled sales flyers for most major retailers. Taking time to look at the various sale prices allows you to confirm where the best deals can be had, but you may be able to use a store’s price adjustment policy to your benefit.
2. Price Adjust
Some retailers, like Target, will issue you a refund if an item you buy goes on sale for less during the week you bought it or the week following. If you see something will be on sale on Black Friday, you could pick it up earlier in the week while it’s in stock and crowds are thin. Then Friday morning just bring your receipt to Customer Service to get your refund for the price difference. (See Target’s price adjustment policy for complete details)
3. Price Match
With some advanced planning you could also take advantage of store’s price matching policy. When a store offers price matching they will match the price on an identical item advertised for less at a competitor. On Black Friday there are some modifications to stores price matching policies: Target won’t price match time-limited sales or items advertised as being sold in a limited quantity and Best Buy won’t price match at all the weekend after Thanksgiving. Walmart’s standard price matching policy remain in effect.
4. Know if You Are Getting a Deal
As you plan your purchases, it is important to know whether an advertised sale price really is a great deal or if it is a run-of-the-mill sale. DealNews.com has a mobile app that compares Black Friday sale prices to regular sale prices. Invisible Hand is a free browser plug-in that shows you what any item you search for online is selling for at other major websites as well as informing about the sale price history.
5. Avoid Impulse Shopping
Stores offer a select set of items at deeply discounted prices, but the vast majority of merchandise in the store is not at a rock bottom price. Retailers often place their doorbusters and amazing sales in the back of the store so that you have to walk by everything else to get there. They hope you lack self-control and pick up one, two or twelve other items on your quest for a great deal.
6. Buy For Yourself
Holiday sales, starting on Black Friday, include all sort of things you may need for yourself. Personal care items, diapers, baby food, clothes, electronics and other things will likely be on sale at or near rock bottom prices so take advantage and buy things your household needs. Take comfort too, as the National Retail Federation says over 57% of people will leverage holiday sales by purchasing items for themselves.
7. Online Shopping as an Alternative
If you want to avoid the crowds all together, don’t forget that Monday, November 29 is Cyber Monday. Online retailers will offer amazing deals all day long and in years past they rivaled the deals found on Black Friday. Pocket Your Dollars shares the very best online deals on Cyber Monday and every day.
Your turn: What are your Black Friday shopping tips and tricks?
**Disclosure: Actions you take from the hyperlinks within this blog post may yield commissions for Pocket Your Dollars.com. See Pocket Your Dollars’ disclosure statement for more details.
About Carrie Rocha
On #2 be careful. Almost all retailers will not price adjust on Black Friday deals. Other regular sale items yes, but Black Friday deals are special. Usually the ad will say this but it can be easily missed.
I know for a fact the Target will NOT do price adjustments on Black Friday. I have tried to purchase the item earlier and then do a price adjustment on that day. They have always said no.
I heard on the radio that Target is doing the price adjustments on Black Friday, Carrie has is listed correctly I believe.
If anyone hears that Target will for sure match, let us know! I purchased an Ipod Nano for a birthday present, and asked about getting an adjustment because it’s in the Target Black Friday ad that I saw. The guy said it was very doubtful they would adjust for Black Friday prices.. It would be great if they would – Target has always been so generous!
sorry – if that wasn’t very clear. I bought the Nano from Target and was looking for their price adjustment.
I went to Target before 10 am this morning hoping to get money back on my Ipod Nano purchase. I got it last week, and it’s a Black Friday Doorbuster deal today. I spoke to a manager at customer service. She was very nice, but said they aren’t doing that, and she said they were distressed to hear this given as a tip on some local tv show. The tip was that if you want a Black Friday deal, you could purchase ahead of time and then just go to Customer Service for the difference back. But that is not the nature of Black Friday deals she said. I’d be curious to know if others had a different experience. I’m not talking about price matching a competitor, but rather refunding the difference on something purchased from Target within the last few days. (by the way, she did tell me if would be perfectly okay with them if I returned the Nano and then repurchased IF they had them on the shelf still. Unfortunately, the Nano was opened and had been used already, though!)
I have priced matched at walmart in the past. not sure what they will do this year since some items you can shop for at 12:01 this year.
I have tried to price match at Walmart in the past. The problem is that the price matched items that are good are gone pretty quick. Walmart is a true madhouse until 11:00. I am not sure why anyone would want to go to Walmart and stand in line with hundreds of people to purchase their items.
I had Express do price adjustments on Black Friday several years ago. This year, the entire store will be 40% off on Friday morning, if anyone is interested…
I know that last year at Target for the price match item you had to have the full ad of the competitor.
Most places also will not price match a BOGO or % off. It has to be a set price (eg- $14.99).
Carrie (or anyone else)
I am interested in the deal on the 8g iPod Touches; many stores are offering gift cards with purchase since Apple keeps pretty tight prices on their stuff.
I would like to buy them from Target; they don’t have the best deal for gift cards, BUT, I have a Red Card 10% coupon and now you get an additional 5% for using your Red Card as well. This makes Target a better deal (in my case.) Here’s my question…..with the gift card deals, do you know if I can buy them online Friday morning, and get the same deal; or is it in-store only??
Nicole- black friday items are usually in store only for that kind of thing.
Does anyone know if Toy’s R US Doorbusters are available online?
Carrie- Can you tell me what type of thrift stores you shop at on Black Friday. I never thought of finding deals there for Black Friday. I called Once upon a Child but all they have is a gift card promo. I’d love to know where else i could check.
The VERY few places I’ve heard of who might price match or price correct will only do it if you’re there during the time that the store has the special. For example, I couldn’t buy ahead of time and then come in Saturday or Black Friday afternoon/evening if the price was an early bird special until 11am. Stores are pretty tough (and generally getting tougher) with returns, exchanges and price matches.