As the holiday season begins to roll around and gift giving is anticipated, Black Friday tends to be one of the biggest and best ways to get great deals on your holiday gifts. Whether it is shopping online or venturing to the mall, there are many tips and tricks you can make use of to make your experience a whole lot better!!
âś… Do: Check out the sales beforehand
I cannot stress this enough…and it’s mainly the reason why it’s the first “do” I make sure to address. A lot of retailers promote their awesome sales early to get customers excited about what’s to come. Take advantage of this and use it to plan out which sales are best before Black Friday even hits. This will give you a big upper hand in getting the deals you want efficiently and easily. Whether it’s browsing through a magazine catalog or glancing at a store’s website, the deals will practically come to you!!
❌ don’t: Ignore cyber Monday
A lot of times, Black Friday gets all the attention and publicity, and Cyber Monday gets overlooked and ignored. People seem to think that you don’t get the best (or better) deals on Cyber Monday, but data seems to be showing the opposite effect. Cyber Monday allows you to do all the shopping in the comfort of your own home and without all the chaos. It allows you to be more purposeful with your purchases and doesn’t require you to put on your running shoes! The deals continue to get better every year for Cyber Monday, so make sure you don’t skip out on it this year.
âś… Do: dress comfortably and effectively
This may sound funny and not something of great importance, but the way you dress before hitting the road to go shopping at a hectic mall is essential. To make the most of your time and be the most efficient with your purchases, make sure to dress in comfortable clothing that is easy to take off. If you plan on going clothing shopping this is essential since you’re gonna want to try on the clothes, but not have it take forever to continuously change and un-change. To save yourself some time and energy, come prepared by wearing leggings and a sweatshirt or stretchy jeans and a t-shirt. An outfit that is breathable and easy to take on and off is the point here, and wearing your skinniest jeans and tightest top is not going to do you any justice when consistently having to change.
❌ Don’t: bring the entire fam
By this I mean the smaller the group you go with the easier it’s going to be to park, eat, shop, and get from Point A to Point B without having to consistently count heads. The mall gets so crowded during this holiday season, and Black Friday is no exception to that. There’s so much going on at once and it can be overwhelming when there are a lot of people to keep track of. By sticking with a smaller group, you’re able to be more efficient with your time and also not cause yourself more stress than you’re already under. Additionally, little kids tend to be more of a stressor than a pleaser during shopping, so if you can, I suggest leaving the little ones at home with a sitter so it’s one less thing to worry about.
âś… Do: Make a budget
This may sound self-explanatory and simple but it’s one of the easiest ways to make sure stores don’t take advantage of your spending vulnerability. Meaning, since Black Friday is such an overwhelming and chaotic day, people tend to spend outrageous amounts of money that they typically wouldn’t since things seem like they’re cheaper due to sales. Although this is true in some cases, it’s not the case for all. You may actually spend more money than before because your mind is telling you it’s cheaper since it has a big “SALE” sign hanging in front of it. Don’t get tricked by these marketing strategies. Instead, make a budget beforehand and stick to it!! It never hurts to plan ahead and it will help you save more money in the long run and not have buyer’s guilt afterward.
❌ Don’t: Take tags off or stain clothes
If you plan on going shopping and don’t feel like dealing with the hassle of dressing rooms and waiting in lines, I recommend buying the item you want in the size you think fits and then just trying all of it on at home. It may be annoying to have to later go back to the mall to return items that didn’t work out, but it will save you from waiting in lines and having to consistently dress and undress. If this seems like something more appealing to you, then it’s important that no tags are taken off any items before you are sure you want to keep them. A lot of retailers now won’t even accept clothes back if the tag is not attached to the item anymore, so this is crucial. More obviously, try not to stain any of the clothing items since if they are damaged, returning them will no longer be an option.
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All in all, of course, these are all just suggestions to make your Black Friday shopping experience more fun and enjoyable. Some of these suggestions may work for you but not so much for others, so it’s totally up to you to decide what works!! Lastly, just have fun. Try not to get too stressed or annoyed during this chaotic time and instead embrace it to gain its full potential!