Black Friday Deals Without the Black Friday Mess
In my last post, I mentioned some tips for approaching the craziness of Black Friday to hopefully help you get some good deals while not overspending or wasting your day. One important suggestion was to prepare yourself beforehand by doing the research necessary to decide what you want before the ads are officially released. I also mentioned that I was going to be doing some pre-shopping on a new vacuum. Well, we went out researching yesterday and now we own a new vacuum.
Why didn’t we wait until Black Friday?
On the surface, this sounds pretty silly to go out a few days before BF and buy something you would probably find on-sale Friday. Though a very similar vacuum will be on sale on Friday, it actually isn’t all that crazy (at least I don’t think it is). Allow me to walk you through the steps we took. First, we checked out Consumer Reports and targeted a few highly-rated vacuums and went to the store to touch and feel them. Before leaving for the store, however, I checked a BF preview site and determined that a very similar model is going to be on sale at Sears for $230 (from $350).
When getting to the store, however, the vacuum that we were looking for was actually on sale right then for $250. After deciding we wanted to purchase this specific model, we asked ourselves a simple question: Is the extra $20 savings worth the hassle of making a special BF trip to this store to fight the crowds and (hopefully) get the vacuum? The answer (obviously) was no. We got the vacuum we wanted for $100 off and now I don’t have to make a trip to that store on Friday morning (I personally consider that worth the $20).
Some other ways to grab BF sales without the BF stress
Here are some other ideas to help you get some good deals on your shopping while avoiding the BF rush and crush.
Big sales have already started
Why wait until Friday when you can start getting good deals today, right now, as we speak. Circuit City has been running Daily Doorbuster deals for a few days already (the last one is today, I believe). Also, Amazon.com sent me an email telling me that Black Friday shopping has already started there as well. They have daily deals and limited-time offers already up and available.
Don’t spend Black Friday jostling for bargains and parking spots. Instead, visit Amazon.com for Black Friday specials and great deals all week long from the convenience (and comfort) of your keyboard.
Amazon also has an interesting gambit going on…it’s kinda hard to describe so allow me to let them do it:
Amazon Customers Vote is back for 2008 and voting has already begun! Customers Vote is a special end-of-year promotion where you can vote for the deal you’d like to buy at an amazing discount. There will be six rounds of voting with three products in each round. Beginning Thursday, November 27, 2008 each day a new winning product will be announced, and randomly selected customers who voted in that round will receive an invitation to participate in the race to buy the winning product.
These are just two of many currently offering deals – check out this page on GottaDeal’s site to see a much larger list of BF sale items from various stores that are available online right now.
Look for Black Friday deals you can get online
BestBuy will be offering some BF items in-store only, but they will also make some available on-line. And what could be more convenient than getting a great BF deal from the comfort and convenience of your own home? Sure, you may have to stay up late Thanksgiving evening or wake up really early the next morning to get online and get these deals, but that’s much better than camping out in the cold to fight a bunch of other people for them. Check here for other BF sales that will be offered online . If there is a store you are planning to visit Friday morning, you might want to search their website to see if they will have the items you want online also. Just remember to check each site to see when the deals will be offered. I’m sure they are all "while supplies last" so you may need to get out of bed early to get the best deals (but at least you’ll be in your PJs instead of your parka).
Just wait until things calm down
Like I mentioned in my previous post , from what I’ve read there will be significant sales going on throughout the Christmas shopping season. As a result, getting a great deal on something you want is probably not a once and done, BF-only proposition. If an item is on sale on BF, there is a fair chance that you will see it on sale again before Christmas. So, if you want a take a slight risk, then sit tight on BF and wait until you see some follow-on sales. You may get lucky and see your item on sale and you can pick it up when the stores are not nearly as hectic.
My standard disclaimer
I have put something like this in all my BF posts….if you are going to venture out or online for BF sales, make a list and stick to it. Remember, spending money is spending money. Spending money is not saving money. A good sale is not an excuse for irresponsible spending (and no, not even a fantastic sale either!). If you really want to leverage Black Friday to save money, then just stay in bed and relax Friday morning…that shouldn’t cost you anything. Better yet, get up early and make your family a special breakfast – that won’t cost very much and will start the Christmas season off for your loved ones on a great note!
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Actually, I believe that all this BF is just a hype. I’ve found that I’ve always been able to pick great bargains in February sales. A good idea is not to shop before Xmas at all… Yeah, I know, this sounds crazy. However, if you take a calculator and sum it all up, you’ll find that you save more money by concentrating on February sales and end-of-summer sales. That’s a tip from me, hope you appreciate!
Very interesting,
Thank’s, Great Post !
Thanks for your post everyday.
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Actually, I believe that all this BF is just a hype. I’ve found that I’ve always been able to pick great bargains in February sales
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