Monday, November 5, 2012

Keep the Change: Navigating Black Friday

Welcome to the Enhanced Version of this month's "Keep the Change" written for the Shawnee Outlook:


As we near the holidays, we simultaneously approach the biggest spending time of year and the biggest savings. Of course, it’s well known there are great deals to be had on what is known as Black Friday. However, this can be a tricky day, especially for new savers. For those who’ve wanted to take part in the sales, but have been too scared to dive in, here are a few tips to getting some deals and keeping your sanity.

First, know what you’re getting. Browse ads on-line at sites like blackfriday.com or bfads.net. Be aware – just because something is in the ad does NOT guarantee it’s a great deal. If your savings will be less than 30%, you may be better off simply waiting for a coupon.

Next, grab a partner (you can split up to hit the store hot spots) and get there early, but not too early. True, if you want the hottest electronics, you may need to stand in line for days. Otherwise, 20-30 minutes is probably early enough to snag most deals.  Also, if you're shopping Wal-Mart, you can find a map of your local store on their website so you know where to head to get the things you want - often the Black-Friday-specific sales items are NOT located where you might expect (DVD's in the Dairy Section?!), so go in prepared!

If you’re not an early bird, keep in mind some stores which offer price-matching still honor this policy on Black Friday. This means you can take one store’s ad somewhere else, where everyone isn’t competing for the same thing, and still get your awesome price – and you don’t have to be there at 3am. Likewise, many stores also offer their sales on-line – so you stay can stay home and do your shopping in your pj’s (though be prepared for these to sell out quickly) – or even wait for Cyber Monday the following week.  If you're shopping on-line, be sure to use a site like Ebates or Shop at Home to get further cash-back on your purchases!

Finally, be sure to head out to your favorite local business the following day in honor of Small Business Saturday – keeping our spending local helps everyone!

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