When preparing for a shopping excursion on Black Friday it pays to be prepared. When you consider that one third of Americans storm the retail stores, some there hours earlier than opening times you can forgive me for saying that preparation is everything. It’s also important to review thanksgiving promotions, thanksgiving coupons and thanksgiving specials as they also give an idea about what’s in store for black Friday. Here are a few tips to make your Black Friday shopping experience a little smoother.
1. Be prepared to shop online instead – Many, if not all of the products you are after can also be found online, at the same time that retail stores are offering knockdown deals, so if you want to save yourself some petrol, time and stress be ready to surf the best daily deal sites at high speed.
2. Don’t take the care – Either have somebody drop you off and then return later to pick you up (ensuring you buy stuff for them too!) or take a taxi. Book a taxi in advance for the return journey as well. Why not book the taxi days in advance? Trying to find a parking space on Black Friday can literally end your hopes of getting the deals you came for.
3. Learn the layout of the land – Ahead of time, learn the layout of the stores you plan to shop in. This way, when it comes to the rush and you are in the midst of the crowd, you know what you want and where it is!
4. Be ready to run! – Always assume that there are more customers than products, especially the product you have in mind. Wear training shoes and be ready to run.
5. Map out a route and stick to it – If you plan to do a Black Friday shopping trip map out the quickest most economical route in advance and don’t deviate from it. Just to be sure, have a couple of short-cuts ready in case things go awry. Traffic can be incredibly bad on Black Fridays.
6. Be nice to store employees – Be friendly to those employees doing their best to help you find what you want and sometimes, if you are lucky, that friendliness might just be the difference between you getting what you want and you leaving empty-handed. A little politeness can go a long way on Black Friday!
7. Take a partner or even a team! – Going solo on Black Friday is a bad idea if you plan to purchase more than one product. The best tactic to employ on Black Friday is to either take a partner or even a team. Prepare lists in advance of what each person wishes to purchase and hit the stores together, splitting up and heading to the different sections of the store. Not only will you save energy, but you will more than likely get what you came for.
