Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) is still the biggest shopping day of the year. As part of their annual ritual, retailers across the country will open their doors before sunrise to greet customers who work themselves into a frenzy to chase down great bargains.
Believe me, I love getting great deals, and LOZO is all about finding ways to get more for less. Retailers have led us to believe that if we don’t buy it on “BF”, we’ll get stuck paying a higher price later on. So you might be surprised to hear that you won’t find me anywhere near the mall on Black Friday. Here’s why:
- Black Friday isn’t what it used to be. Simply put, it isn’t the be-all-end-all shopping day it once was. Just because a store makes a big deal about a sale, doesn’t mean it’s really a bargain. Yes, you can still find a handful of standout, “today only” deals if you are willing to wait on line for most of the night, but most of the deals are the same ones that stores are offering at different times throughout the year. Last year you could even find most of the best “doorbuster” sales offered on multiple occasions AFTER Black Friday. In fact, stores will sometimes try to raise prices on non-doorbuster items hoping to catch you in a moment of frenzied shopping.
- Many Black Friday deals start early. Over recent years, more and more stores have started advertising their Black Friday deals as early as a week or two prior and allowing customers to buy early. Check out your favorite stores to see what they’re offering right now. If you have some particular items in mind, start tracking the sales now (if you haven’t already started) to learn what a really good price is for those goods. Online shoppers can try Buy.com for a daily rotation of BF deals across a variety of categories, and one-day or weekend-only sales popping up just about everywhere.
- You can find better deals online, and not just on BF. Retailers often start posting their BF deals online on Thanksgiving Day, continue them on Saturday & Sunday, and repeat many of their doorbusters on Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving). You can shop these deals from the comfort of your own home (rather than getting up at 3am and waiting in line outside a store) and often stack online coupons and cash back rebates for an even better price. Sounds good to me!
In short, you’ve got plenty of options, so don’t worry that you’ll only find a great deal just on Black Friday. Visit LOZO for more Black Friday tips, including a list of the best places to start tracking Black Friday deals and strategies that will get you the best possible value with the least possible hassle.
Author Note
Jeff is the CEO of LOZO, a free website that shows you ways to save money with all the best tips, deals, coupons and more.
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