Have you ever thought of going frugal while shopping?
Let me explain.
The best way of saving is shopping when you can get a discount. Some businesses offer unique coupons among other deals for a limited time. Shopping in bulk at such times can save you lots of cash.
Black Friday is one of those seasons where prices are incredibly lowered down to help you save. Below are some excellent Black Friday tips to improve your shopping experience.
1. Note down what you want to buy and stick to it
Have you ever gone to the shop and bought items you hadn’t planned? Impulse buying can happen whether you are shopping online or offline. On a Black Friday, you might end up spending money on stuff that you hadn’t planned to buy since things tend to be cheaper than usual.
You, therefore, need to write down a list of things you want to buy to avoid deviating due to opportunistic purchases. You can use Apps like Evernote to write down. Besides that, many other online tools can help you save your files online so that you can access them from any device.
2. Buy what you can afford
Black Fridays can tempt you to buy some stuff that you hadn’t thought of because of their reduced prices. Sometimes as you shop around, you may notice an expensive phone you have been admiring for a long time. You may realize that they have lowered its price by half.
You might be tempted and spend all you had to get it only to miss out buying other important stuff. According to data given out by the CNBC, an average buyer used $289 in Black Friday. I don’t know how much you spend on average during your shopping, but it’s wise to shop what you can afford. In other words, you need to follow your budget. As mentioned above, note down what you want to buy and stick to your budget.
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3. Always shop online
Have you ever tried buying goods online? If you compare it with shopping in stores, you will notice that shopping online saves your time and money. While some in- stores have Black Friday deals, you cannot walk in every store comparing them. But purchasing items online gives you the chance to visit different stores and checking their deals without physically moving.
You can check them, compare then write down their Black Friday coupons and promo codes and use them to shop. Most retailers put their promo codes online, so it’s quite easy to locate them. Choose a retail store that has Black Friday deals that will help you to save as much as possible.
4. Conduct research of Pre-Black Friday Prices of what you want to buy
There is a trick that some online retailers use on Black Fridays to make people buy their products. They usually put a sticker that shows a widely inflated price of that product before Black- Friday. They would then indicate that that has been reduced to a certain amount of money, which makes its current price to appear lower than the initial one.
However, if you do further research on that product from other stores, you will realize that that price is the average market price. You, therefore, need to know the original prices of products before Black Fridays so that you may not be a victim of those gimmicks. You can do this a few days before Black Friday.
5. Bookmark Retailers website
Have you ever visited an online retail store and loved their deals? Maybe certain products are sold at that store at very fair rates. Whether you purchased from them or not, you need to bookmark such a site for future reference.
You can bookmark it and add some descriptions based on what you found exciting on that store. For example, you can write, “Affordable laptops” or something else depending on what you saw there. After that, during Black Fridays, you can recheck their deals. You can have as many bookmarks as possible depending on what you often shop and use those sites during Black Fridays.
6. Follow your favourite retailers on Social Media
Are you in any social media platforms? If you have a Facebook account, you might want to follow your retailers Facebook page. You can also follow other social media pages that they have. While you may receive annoying ads when you start following them, don’t mind about that.
Following your retailers’ social media pages helps you to stay alert on the available offers that can help you get a discount. When Black Friday approaches, you may also get their notifications on the hot upcoming deals for that period. This helps you not to be left behind and to prepare in advance for Black Friday deals of specific retailers that you like.
7. Sign up on your retailer’s newsletters
You might visit a store, shop and like their pricing and deals as well. Some retailers always offer unique promo codes during special occasions and sometimes just for their frequent customers. There are some online stores like Jockey, LilySilk and Twinkle Deals among others that usually have coupon codes.
What if you shop during the Black Friday at such stores? You might save more. Being on their mailing list helps you to be up to date with their upcoming promotions during Black Fridays and prepare in advance.
You can sign up to their newsletters a few weeks before Black Friday if you don’t want any emails on your phone. You can as well unsubscribe at any time you wish to.
8. Use discounted gift cards to shop
Discounted Gift cards can be your best shopping secret if you have never tried them. You can look for discounted gift cards from sites like raise.com where you can learn more about various retailers and their gift cards.
Buying such gift cards helps you save when shopping because they have been discounted. For example, you can buy a gift card using $300 only can pick up items worth $38 while shopping with it since you purchase at lower rates than someone who did not use it. Stores such as Kohls, Jockey, Pallazo, Talbot, LilySilk, and Lou & Grey among others offer discounted gift cards during Black Fridays.
9. Make priorities on your shopping list
If you shop at different stores, you will realize that some stores help you save more while purchasing certain items. As you write down a list of what you want to buy, you also need to write down a list of stores that you bookmarked during your research on certain items. You can prioritize such stores by choosing the most important store, visit it and shop things according to what is needed more on your list.
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10. Ask a friend to help you shop
Have you ever tried going to shop with someone you love? Is it fun? Apart from enjoying each other’s company, your friend can help you stick to your shopping list. This is quite paramount especially when you have certain must have things on your list, your budget is limited, and there are many good deals out there.
With a friend by your side, you cannot get distracted easily. Aside from that, your friend can also help you look for items in other areas as you deal with some areas. This works best when you are shopping offline. It can work when buying online as well so long as you give your friend the list of must-have items and name of stores.
11. You need a backup plan
It’s quite frustrating when you go shopping and can’t find some items that you wanted to buy. This is likely to happen at a time when many people are shopping. On a Black Friday, offers are usually limited, and after that time you won’t be able to buy at those rates?
So what should you do? It’s simple. As you write down your most essential items, write with an alternative just in case you miss them, what you can buy? This will help you to stop wasting time trying to figure out what to buy next. You may end up buying unnecessary items.
12. Learn more about shipping fees and return policies
Most online stores have shipping policies and return policies as well. You need to know more about them before shopping on those sites on a Black Friday. While some stores offer coupons on Black Fridays, they tend to have a shipping fee which may be quite costly making you end up saving nothing.
Some stores offer free shipping, while others offer free shipping only on items above a certain amount of money. You might want to choose a store that has free shipping policy.
You also need to check the return policy just in case the item you ordered didn’t meet your requirements. Find out the steps on how to get a refund and what to do to qualify to get a refund or an exchange of that item.
13. Install the Black Friday APP and Coupon Aggregator on your device
Have you ever used a shopping APP? It’s an effective way of helping you focus on your budget. The Black Friday APP and coupon aggregator is free. It helps you know about Black Friday deals and also gives you coupons for each deal.
While it has great deals for Black Friday, you may also find other deals that are outside the traditional Black Friday window. You can also try other APPs like Flipp, Shopular and The Coupons App.
14. Use Black Friday to shop for future events
At most times, when you approach certain Holidays or events, prices of specific commodities that relate to that event usually hike. For example, Halloween Costumes are more expensive currently compared to other days of the month. You can take advantage of Black Friday and shop for upcoming events to avoid overspending during that time.
15. Shop from less obvious places
Shopping from less obvious areas applies most of the time when you are buying in a store. During Black Fridays, the most apparent positions can be a nightmare. Many people overcrowd at those places that moving around can take much of your time.
You may also not have enough time to buy everything that you want. Furthermore, some commodities may be finished before you reach them. You may want to go to lesser known places even if it’s far so that you may not be interrupted by the crowd of fellow buyers.
16. Learn to be an early bird
You need to train yourself to prepare early enough before an event begins. This makes you know what to buy, where to buy and not to miss exciting offers. Most retailers put their deals and offer early before Black Friday begins. Some are generous enough to put a welcome package for early visitors.
You might be lucky to get those deals before anyone else. You should, therefore, visit online retailers early before Black Friday to know what they have in store for you. You will also have zero inconveniences while shopping, have enough time to compare prices and even learn more ways of saving.
17. Use Coupons
As much as Black Friday involves buying items at lower rates, don’t ignore coupons. The prices might be lower, but when you use coupon and promo codes to shop, you will end up saving more. You can get coupons from various stores online. Keep in mind that those coupons always occur for a short time, so be an early bird as mentioned earlier.
18. Search for a list of Black Friday Ads
When you go online when Black Friday is approaching, you are likely to come across ads that are related to Black Friday. Do not ignore them as they can give you a lot of information about the most fantastic deals. You can choose items that you would love to shop first by making a prioritized list from those ads.
19. Get freebies at the drugstores
Did you know that freebies can help you save money that you would have spent on them? Most online stores like Walgreens, CVS and Rite- Aid offer freebies to their customers. Their gift card deals are also fantastic, and you may want to try them out.
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20. Prepare your cell phone for Black Friday shopping
Where do you write your Black Friday shopping list? Even if you wrote it down on a piece of paper, you would need your phone for many reasons. First of all, if you installed the Black Friday Shopping App, that will be your checklist. You will know what to buy first, where to buy it and how much you are willing to spend.
Your phone can also act as a calculator. Based on the new prices, you can calculate as you add to cart, to be sure how much you are going to spend. You should, therefore, prepare your phone in advance, by charging it and even carrying a power bank and a portable charger just in case it runs out of battery while you are shopping.
21. Always keep receipts
Do you throw away receipts immediately after shopping? This happens mostly when you shop offline. Receipts are essential as they have information on pricing and how much you spent while shopping. After the Black Friday, you may notice that you purchased some items that you don’t intend to use soon.
If you have a receipt, you can return them and ask for a refund or an exchange. I suppose you checked the return policy of the store before shopping with them.
22. Check reviews before buying from any store
Most common stores have websites where customers share their experience with the products they purchased at that place. Whether online or offline, you might want to know what people have to say about that store. Even if it’s an offline store, try looking for their social media pages or ask friends around you what they experienced while shopping with them.
Other retailers like BestBuy, Amazon or Walmart have allowed customers to review their products. You will notice that some reviews are negative while some are positive. If you see too many negative reviews about a particular product that you wanted to buy on that store, try to avoid it.
Take note that some online stores don’t have genuine reviews. If you see that the reviews are only positive and no negative review that might not be 100% genuine.
23. Shop with a credit card
If you are going to shop online, it is advisable to buy using a credit card. Try to avoid using a debit card as much as you can to make online payments as you may experience data breaches that usually occur on Black Fridays.
If you use a credit card, you reduce your financial liability to $50 in case of fraud. But if you use a debit card, you can have a liability of up to $500 depending on how first you notice the charges.
Some credit cards give free benefits to their users. Inquire from your credit card provider about the number of warranties that can make you qualify for free coverage in case of any.
24. If you miss a deal, try again during the day
Many people shop during the Black Friday, and if you shop late, you may notice that a particular deal is not available anymore. However, some people fall into impulse buying during the Black Friday only to realize that they don’t need some stuff and return them.
Going back later during the day can make you get many items that you missed earlier. Even if you are shopping online, try to check later, you might be lucky to get what you missed.
25. Research the right product
Sometimes you may notice that a particular item is sold at a low price during Black Friday. Don’t rush to purchase it. Check its quality before buying it. If you decide to buy product online, look for sites that have professionals who evaluate products. These sites include PCMag.com (assesses computers), LCDTVBuyingGuide.com (evaluates televisions) and Consumer Reports among others. Search them online depending on the items you are planning to shop.
26. Wait before buying certain items
As much as Black Friday and Cyber Monday can make you think that you will get the best deals during that day, you will have to wait when it comes to certain items. Items like furniture cannot be so good to buy on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Since Black Friday happens when the year is almost coming to an end, it may not be wise to purchase items like furniture. Most furniture gets new inventory or models when the year begins. You can wait and buy furniture during the beginning of the year.
27. Have enough sustenance
Most people forget that when they go to a shop, they might feel hungry and want a snack or an energy drink. In case they are going to shop the whole day, they end up spending a good chunk of money on snacks and beverages.
It is crucial to include this in your budget as well. Even if you are not going to carry a snack, set aside a budget that you would use on such miscellaneous expenses and stick to that.
Black Friday is indeed an exciting time to shop. You are not only able to get great deals but also get freebies from some stores. Don’t wait for Black Friday to start planning on what you need. You need always to write down a list of things that you need most before Black Friday.
It may be a phone, a new dress or kitchen items. Whatever it is plan. Save enough for the things you want to buy. Remember that some stores offer discounts to members who buy in bulk. What if you buy in Bulk and use coupon codes at the same time on a Black Friday? Aren’t you going to save a lot? Plan and enjoy your shopping during Black Fridays.