For those of us with tight budgets, the holidays can be a nerve-wracking time. But here at HC, we’re always looking out for you! We know you know about Black Friday, the infamous day after Thanksgiving when you can get the most amazing discounts and deals for everything on your shopping list. But for many people, Black Friday conjures up images of absolute chaos: overnight campouts in front of department stores, people trampling one another as the doors open, or your feet falling off from exhaustion before noon even rolls around.
There are a lot of rumors and hype about Black Friday, but we’re here to help you understand the trends and offer some survival tips. We can’t promise there won’t be long lines, but we can help you be as prepared as possible to get the most out of your day. Who knows; you might be able to get all your holiday presents in one trip, and even do a little shopping for yourself!
Do Your Research on Discounts and Don’t Get Scammed
We don’t just want you to survive Black Friday; we want you to thrive! To make sure you get the most out of your day, it’s always best to do your research before you even get to the stores. Michael O’Hara, CEO of Yumani, a website where buyers can post items they want and sellers compete for their business, is an expert on online shopping and retail trends. “Leverage your internet expertise and find the best deals,” O’Hara says. “Retailers count on some impulse shopping, but especially 18- to 24-year-olds have to be savvy shoppers. Search online before you go into a store, and get that price.” Check the websites of your favorite stores for deals and promotions that they’ll be offering on Black Friday, as well as sites like BlackFriday.com that list deals from lots of different department stores. Print out the best coupons and bring them with you when you shop. Don’t forget to check across multiple stores if you’re looking for a specific product, in case one advertises a lower price.
It’s also good to do background checks on the stores you’re buying from. “Buy from a reputable outlet,” O’Hara tells us. “There are a lot of gray market goods, especially with consumer electronics. They don’t come with full warranties, or are reconditioned and are being sold as new.” Reputable outlets are stores that will guarantee your purchase, let you have exchanges, and ensure that you will receive a refund if you’re unhappy with the product. Check out company policies, especially on big-ticket items and discounted sale items. And watch for telltale scams. “Don’t buy from any place that will charge you a restocking fee,” O’Hara cautions.
Worth the Wait?
Black Friday is known for the long lines outside stores, but that’s not the only way to shop—sometimes, depending on what you’re shopping for, it could be to your benefit to skip Black Friday altogether. Although extremely low prices are common on large ticket items, like appliances and consumer electronics, those huge savings don’t extend to everything. “In clothing and department stores, most items are marked up to mark down,” O’Hara tells us. “I wouldn’t go and stand in line at 2 in the morning for a pair of jeans or a jacket.” That doesn’t mean there won’t be bargains, though. O’Hara says that stores want to clear their inventory, so they might even drop prices further as the holidays get closer. “There will be steeper discounts for goods like coats and sweaters as you build up to Christmas,” O’Hara says.
Other experts aren’t so sure that waiting is the best plan. MaryAnn Bekkedahl, President and Co-Founder of theSwizzle, a website that allows people to sign up for emails with product information and deals from brands they love, cautions against waiting too late for deals to arrive. “It’s like playing chicken. If you wait and wait and wait for the deal to get better, it might only get better the minute it goes out of stock,” Bekkedahl says. However, she offers a solution: “Buy it and keep the receipt, and if you see that that store will have a sale, go back and get the sale price.” She admits that retailers don’t love that strategy, but that they’ll usually honor an exchange. Just be sure to check their return policy! Local merchants generally have a 10-day return policy with receipt. Most major retails usually have a 30-day window, if not longer, and the big department stores usually give around six months to return an item, according to Bekkedahl.
Make a List
Once you’ve done your research on the lowest prices, it’s time to actually plan your purchases. Bekkedahl recommends making a list of all the stores you want to go to and the people you need to buy for. “Know what you’re going for,” she says. But don’t be afraid to look around, too! “You will be inspired along the way; you’ll see something for your sister that you didn’t know you wanted or that you couldn’t put on a list,” she says. Her personal recommendation is to slip a small notebook into your purse and have it serve as a running list of deals, ideas, and reminders. “Having a list and a structure helps you get from point A to B when you get to the mall,” she says.
Don’t forget about the research you did earlier, and make sure you work it into your plan for the day! If you know J.Crew has an awesome sale going on, print out the store’s flyer and tuck it in your notebook. Sticking to your list also helps you to not go over budget. Once you get in the mall, it’s easy to spend, spend, spend, but it’s easier to stay on track if you keep a written list of what presents you need to buy and where to find the best deals on them. If your budget is tight this year, it might be good to not use a credit card for purchases since it’s easier to forget what you’ve spent when you don’t have a physical reminder (a dwindling cash supply) to keep track of. Take out a set amount of cash, and set that as your maximum budget for the day (just make sure you keep an eye on your purse—don’t be a target for theft!).
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Map Out Your Day
Trying to figure out which stores to hit when? Check online to find out what time your local mall opens, since many stores will open their doors a few hours ahead of their usual opening time. Others might even let customers in as early as 8 p.m. on the night of Thanksgiving. If you are going for large consumer electronics, like wide-screen televisions, it’s best to get there early. There can be some amazing prices on these types of items, O’Hara tells us. “[Stores] can sell things below cost, and hope that you’ll walk out the store and buy other things on your way out the door,” he says. “If the item is beyond extraordinary, it may be worth getting up early for.”
If you’re not in it for the large electronics, it might help to know when the rush will hit other types of stores. Although you should expect lots of shoppers to be around all day on Black Friday, there are certain patterns you can look out for. “Stores that reach a college age audience are less crowded in the morning,” Bekkedahl tells us. If you want to avoid the major crowds, try going early, before most college students even roll out of bed. But if you’ve got a lot of younger siblings on your shopping list, it might be better to wait. “The reverse is true for kids stores. If you are shopping for young kids, your niece or cousin or whatever, late afternoon is better [to avoid crowds],” according to Bekkedahl.
Once you know what opens when, print out a map for your local mall. Circle the stores you want to hit up, and number them in order of where you want to go first. You can add it to your handy-dandy notebook and be totally prepared for the day!
Dress for Success
Black Friday is a marathon, not a sprint. If you’re planning on heading out for the whole day, make sure you’re wearing something comfortable. You don’t have to go total grunge, but wear clothing that you can move around in. If you’re planning on trying on a lot of clothes, make sure you wear something that’s easy to take off and put back on.
Accessories are just as important. Don’t wear a huge winter coat—when you take it off, it will just be another thing to carry, and the mall will be warm enough with all the people around. The perfect bag is key, too. Try to go for a medium sized bag, just big enough for your wallet, cell phone, and your master notebook. A cross-body bag is a great way to stay secure in busy shopping centers and leave your arms free for carrying extra bags. And, of course, we can’t stress the importance of comfortable shoes. There’s nothing worse than blisters at 2 p.m., especially when the stores don’t close for eight more hours!
Plan for a Long Day
If you’re going to be standing in line for a few hours, you’ll want to be prepared for the inevitable tummy rumblings. If you don’t want to fill up on mall food by 11 a.m., toss a few energy bars and pieces of fruit in your bag. If you start getting a sugar low from all the intense shopping, you won’t have to worry about whether or not there’s a line outside the pretzel stand.
And even more important than food is water! A long day of shopping can leave you dehydrated—you are walking around for hours, after all. Including a bottle of water in your bag is one of Bekkedahl’s top tips for making sure you can power through the whole day. Try to find a collapsible water bottle if you don’t want to take up a ton of room in your bag!
And/Or Shop from Home… on Cyber Monday!
If you don’t feel like battling the crowds, stick to online shopping. There’s actually a whole separate day called Cyber Monday that acts as the online equivalent of Black Friday. “Last year, [Cyber Monday] surpassed Black Friday in terms of retail sales made,” making it one of the largest shopping days ever, Bekkedahl says. And we totally understand why! “For college women, it’s a no-brainer,” she says. “Get in your slippers and stay at home.”
The best thing about Cyber Monday is that it starts as soon as Monday does. “Stay up past midnight on Sunday, because a lot of retailers will post special Cyber Monday deals at 12:01 (a.m.),” Bekkedahl says. But if you’re having trouble finding the best deals, don’t stress out too much. As an online shopping expert, Bekkedahl spends her time monitoring daily deals and major holiday promotions from more than 1200 retailers. Check out her website, theSwizzle, to browse through the latest promotions from your favorite stores and prepare for Cyber Monday!
So, collegiettes, are you ready to tackle Black Friday on your own? Let us know about your best tips and tricks for surviving Black Friday. And, of course, happy shopping!