Black Friday is almost here. It’s a great time to score some deals, but don’t go at it willy-nilly. Follow these 5 simple Black Friday rules to avoid the scams and wasting time.
1. Doorbusters are stripped-down crap
What we call doorbusters, stores call loss leaders. These items are heavily advertised and retailers will lose money on them. Because of this, the doorbuster items are generally older products repackaged as something new or current models stripped down to the bare essentials.
Take a look the advertised doorbusters this year. Best Buy has a notebook for $197, but it’s built around a Celeron CPU. Walmart has a $78 Magnavox Blu-ray player, but is only Profile 1.1 compatible. These are older items with a new model number. They will probably work, but you’re not getting a gadget worth your time.
The goal of these doorbusters is to draw in people that will hopefully buy other merchandise and extended warranties.
2. Don’t buy non-advertised items
Just because it’s Black Friday, it doesn’t mean everything is on sale. In fact, a lot of retail stores mark up items from their standard price hoping to squeeze a little extra out of unknowing shoppers brought in by the doorbuster items. Other retailers like jewelery or specialty stores will not offer any additional discounts at all.
Black Friday isn’t a day for impulse shopping. It’s a day that needs to be carefully planned. Know what you are buying and avoid everything else.
3. Shop now or on Cyber Monday instead
Half the fun of Black Friday is the experience of waking up at 3 a.m. and standing in line at Target for a mini fridge that’s $15 off. Fine, but if you’re sane, you’ll shop the deals available now or wait until Cyber Monday instead when online retailers put up their best sales.
BlackFriday.info has all of the Black Friday deals listed. Spend some time there and ensure that you’re not wasting your time on Friday morning. For instance, West Marine has the same deal right now on the Garmin nuvi 265WT GPS that Radio Shack will make you wait in line for on Black Friday. Staples is also advertising the Sony Reader Pocket Edition for $199 for Black Friday; it can be had for less online now. Shop around.
4. Partner up for maximum efficiency
Shop in groups of three. Two people rush around the store while one person stands in the long line. This works especially well if you’re not the first person in the store. Generally Black Friday involves 5 minutes of crazy shopping and 5 hours of waiting to check out. With this strategy you can get in and out of the store quickly.
5. People are crazy, but you should be nice
Black Friday can be scary. Children and small men often get trampled by large women rushing to score special deals. Parking lots are filled with NASCAR drivers and everyone is hopped up on coffee and Red Bull. The best thing to do is sleep right through it, but if you must shop, please be nice.
Smile at the cashier. He doesn’t want to be there and hates you for perpetuating the tradition. Smile at other shoppers too because you are all in this together. If you must shove someone out of the way to grab the last $79 GPS at Radio shack, do it gently.
Rule #6: Just don’t go. It’s crazy to be shopping at 6 am and just as crazy to have to make a shopping plan more complex than D-Day.
+1
+2
Agreed. The pain people go through to save a couple bucks on Black Friday is ridiculous. Is your time worth nothing, people? I cherish mine far too much to participate in this nonsense.
What to buy on Best Buy Black Friday 2009? Here’s a list of the “best” Best Buy deals and flyers for 2009. So Wake up early!
And also don’t be angry with campers who have been there 24 hours ago or they might bite you!
Best Buy is still the best buy for Black friday 2009: http://bit.ly/best-buy-2009-black-friday-crazy-sales
Rule #1: The first rule of Best Buy Club is, you do not talk about Best Buy Club
Celebrate Buy Nothing Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_Nothing_Day
Your #6 is the same as #3.
Oups Crunchy gear forgot Toys R Us in the list! :D
As for the post, I believe there’s no place in this world where you can find mega tons of toys other than in Toys R Us! See their insane deals for the brats.. I mean kids
Happy Black Friday: http://bit.ly/toys-r-us-sweetest-deals-for-the-kids
Just make sure you wake up early guys and avoid that “turkey-i-want-to-sleep syndrome” :D
WELL PLAYED MY FRIEND!!!
This guy wants all the deals to himself and so he is encouraging us to miss the event
Also, don’t forget that stores often stock very few of the advertised item, even as little as two. Getting there at 3 am is still no guarantee that you’ll save the $6 on the dancing toaster.
dancing toaster? tell me more.
Great info. I will definitely be sleeping in and shopping online instead. =)
Rule #7: It’s not worth it.
entirely subjective
Also you may wish to check out a few useful apps that help you keep track of black friday deals from your iphone:
- MyDeals (beta – http://www.utarget.me)
- TGI Black Friday (in app store)
- Black Friday Deals (in app store)
I plan on sleeping through it as well
I worked technology retail for 13 years, (thank goodness not anymore) It can be a fun experience, even for those working that day, or early morning.
But, please… the pushing and shoving and rudness is just horrible.
Be nice.
This man speaks the truth. Thank Big Baby Jesus that I do not work in a large retail chain anymore. It’s simply madness for 24 hours, and I don’t understand it.
Half the fun of Black Friday is the experience of waking up at 3 a.m. and standing in line at Target for a mini fridge that’s $15 off.
Priceless. I often dont buy, just go at 7 am to see the crowd and see people stacking up stuffs.
“Children and small men often get trampled by large women rushing to score special deals.”
hahaha sounds pretty accurate….
Some retailers are starting their specials tonight at 7:00 pm. It’ll probalbly be guys buying electrinic gear since the “women folk” will be home doing the early prep for tomorrow’s gorge fest.
on thanksgiving evening, I drive to the local best buy to see all the idiots lined up 12 hours early. It’s good for a laugh.
Maybe we all should buy a little less of the freakin’ crap that is out there.. I’ve been a minimalist for a while and the only place they see my face lately is the super market.
Last things I bought was my 24″ iMac and a lense for my Alpha because I think I deserved it and just because I need it for my work. I’ve already learned that most of what you buy is going in the thrash anyway.
It would help the so called environmental issue a lot..
a minimalist that buys a 24″ apple screen.
on which planet is this minimalist???
On my planet, an iMac has everything inside of the screen. The size of the screen is relevant to my occupation and not to being a minimalist.
I live in a studio with as less bullshit as I can. Don’t own a car or anything else that I don’t really need. The only 2 things I own that I don’t need are my 2 plants and maybe I’ve got some candles and books I probably don’t need.
Point is it is absolutely stupid to buy crap you like, if in a few weeks you realize you don’t really need it.
Some people LOVE the excitement of waking up early, grabbing things off their holiday list, and getting tremendous deals. They thrive on the thrill of a bargain, and anxiously await Black Friday like it’s a holiday in-and-of itself. I am not one of these fanatics,
read more
http://www.metroimma.com/forum/topics/black-friday-prepare-your
I agree with Matt that you don’t necessarily have to shop On Black Friday to get Holiday deals. There’s tons of Thanksgiving/Pre Black Friday sales going on.
I keep track of upcoming holiday deals with: http://bit.ly/bJos8. I Hate signing up for store newsletters (I like keeping my inbox clean), so I just come here to see what the latest promos are.
Rule #8.. don’t charge it to your credit if you’re still paying your previous year black friday purchases
+1. Seriously, who carries credit card debt?
most people *pinning you the winner of the captain obvious award*
Wow, did you really just answer my rhetorical question? I would guess you think credit card debt to be a good thing right?
I looked up all things that are on sale as far as the tech stuff and I must say I found stuff cheaper online already than what’s on sale in major stores like Target, Best Buy, Walmart, Sears…
Laptops and HDTV’s they are all crap , I mean yeah they are high tech for someone but for that same money they can buy better things online yet they just don’t know where to look for.
Example: if someone would just head over to http://slickdeals.net or http://www.techdeals.net/ they would already see that they could save a lot of money. Especially on black friday on sites like buy.com , amazon.com etc…or even Newegg.com (20% off)
Anyways here are some bargains if you are interested to read as well:
http://www.mwd.com/2009/11/where-to-find-2009-black-friday-ads-blackfriday/
those sites in those links hurt my eyeballs
If you want to keep your local stores in business and their price is suitable, buy from them instead of online. Online is great when you have no other purchasing options locally. Keep your town civic pride and economy flowing, even if it costs the price of a Starbucks Mocha to do so..
I agree with this one. Try to help out your local stores (except Walmart).
For a list of online sales that will be going on check out my latest blog post: # bit.ly/5sCPRP
Rule #9.. Everyone please get up at 4 am and go waste your morning shopping with morons and idiots……. I will be in my tree stand getting that 16 point monster buck you missed out on…….
and i’ll be on the ski slopes… hitting the powder that you missed out on…
and i’ll be in bed getting that sleep that you missed out on.
Boy, this article is a buzz kill.
I’m lining up. I personally like the info on:
http://www.dealmoon.com/2009-blackfriday/flyer-download.php
http://www.blackfriday.fm
http://www.blackfriday.info
Not gonna get an iPhone yet, as there’s a Black Friday & Cyber Monday celebration iPhone giveaway. http://bit.ly/SALEBF
Let the madness begin!
signed up for the iPhone giveaway! Thanks!
Totally agree about the doorbusters being crap!
I’m buying online and saving the hassle. Looking for a decent netbook.
Any other netbook deal sites out there?
I’ve tried
http://www.blackfridaynetbook.com and seeing some ok deals there.
Any others?
I hope the author of this blog post knows that mentioning Cyber Monday automatically knocks down your credibility since Cyber Monday has been shown to not be a real phenomenon. Understood the point, but saying “order on Cyber Monday when online retailers put up their best sales” is just bad because, well, they don’t.
people are crazy around this time.. use cash this year as opposed to charging items.. who knows if you have a job after x-mas
better yet, give Cash as a gift :)
Personally i’m going to try to avoid the crowds this year and do most of my shopping online.
I found a good article with tips on how to shop online this year on Black Friday & Cyber Monday…here is the link:
http://www.covertsurfer.com/safeshopping.html
does 42″ 720p LCD is that bad or should i go with the 1080?
Hillcrest Guest House, St. John, US Virgin Islands is offering 15% off on “Black Friday”, which expires at midnight, Nov. 27th.
Come enjoy the warm climate and pristine blue ocean waters.
Call or email for the discount or book on-line, http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/virgin-islands-saint-john-hillcrestguesthousestjohnusvirginislands.html.
http://www.HillcrestStJohn.com
(340) 776-6774 & (340) 998-8388
E-mail- hillcrestguesthouse@yahoo.com
Phyllis Hall
Owner
Or skip it all together and just enjoy the day NOT shopping for anything.
Rule #10: Skip the shopping altogether and go see that movie/show you’ve always wanted to see instead
Rule #1023 – Instead of spending your time and money on a falmbongers and tweedoolers (whoville) get a real job to pay off those purchases. We’re doing a Thanksgiving social media job competition. Bring your A game Crunchers…
http://jobs.vidli.com/apply/cf1c/d5ac
I participated in this unique American madness once 10 years back. I stood in line at BB for 2 hours only to score some DVDs that I did not even need. Based on that experience, I decided NEVER to do that again. So far I’ve stuck to it.
I am in immigrant and I’m fascinated by this tradition as this country has so much stuff available but on this day, it is like breadlines in the former USSR.
Ah, Black Friday, is there anything more American than unabashed consumerism?
Credit card companies must love when events like Black Friday come around. How much would they make on overcharged credit card on this one day?
Stay home, wrap up in your favorite blanket on the couch with a good book or movie. Your Monday back at work will be so much more productive!
Black Friday will be gray this year. Nobody has any money! Once again American’s are ramping up to get into more debt, buying things we can’t afford. Isn’t it bad enough that all of our homes and cars have been repossessed (see: http://www.repofinder.com)? I just hope we haven’t forgotten what Christmas is all about
Why fight the crowd. Shop online! :-) Just found a great collection of email newsletters from all the merchants. I can’t believe I’ve been subscribing to all these different email newsletters and filling up my inbox with spam all these years!
http://www.sale.com/emails/dept/Black-Friday-promo-code/1101
Most of the people who get up and buy the cheap stuff on Black Friday are just planning to resell it on eBay for a profit anyway.
People go absolutely crazy trying to save a couple of dollars off some, usually electronic crap. These people then max out their credit cards and have no problems paying jacked up interest rates month after month.
Just save up the cash, get rid of your credit cards, and wait a little while to buy a better quality unit for a bit more. You’ll save way more than fighting to grab that no-name 32″ TV for $249.
Oh !!! Yes because you sell black Friday
People go absolutely crazy trying to save a couple of dollars off some, usually electronic crap. These people then max out their credit cards and have no problems paying jacked up interest rates month after month.
Great, thanks for the tips! There’s a great Black Friday Sale at ArtistiCreation, 50% off everything! One day only.
Check out the ArtistiCreation Shop!
Look at this news : the 6th sense technology. I sway you would never seen the gadget like this in your life
http://blogoware.blogspot.com
Check the first post of my blog. Comment if you find worth
DAMMIT!!!!! why does black friday always fall on the weeks i never have any money. This is the third blcak friday im gonna miss out on.
I would never go shopping in a mad house. They act like animals. I shop online. Great info.
I have never been and don’t plan on it! It is just too crazy and dangerous. Unless you like fighting people….
You guys need to seriously get out of the house. Don’t take a few hyped up news stories as the real situation across the country, at every store – especially if you’ve never done a Black Friday yourself.
I went shopping with no problems at all – like every year – except it being crowded. Well, its gonna be crowded all throughout Dec too.
If I have any complaints about Black Friday is that for the last few years the deals aren’t exclusive to Black Friday and the media is hyping a bunch of nothing.
The problem with shopping online at this time of year is that there is no guarantee you’ll get the item before the deadline and you have to pay extra for shipping.
I NEVER have & never will set foot in one of these stores on big sales days. I check out all the ads then shop online – 9 times out of 10 I get a better price and free shipping without the headache.
With my Droid I also set price alerts on ShopSavvy app for things I know I’ll buy eventually or that make great gifts for just about anyone – when I see a good sale, I order. You can also get many stores (even big box) to price match – it never hurts to ask. It tends to depend on the price difference, how bad your local economy is, and the manager as to whether or not they give you the price break.
buy….buy…best time to buy