It is that time of the year; the time that we are all grateful for. Whether you enjoy shopping or not, Black Friday is a time of the year that we can all agree we are happy about because it precedes Christmas and as required of the festivities, there is just so much to buy.
Thankfully, retailers have made our jobs easier by giving us heavy discounts on Black Fridays.
In spite of this great news, getting the best deals is not automatic; you have to be equipped with the right information.
There are certain tips that will help you get the best deals on Black Friday this November.
How do you get the best deals on Black Friday this November?
Black Friday 2019 : How to Get the Best Deals
1. Know what you want to buy
Let’s face it. It is very easy to get carried away and want to buy even things we don’t need because they are available at a discount.
Also, it is very easy to overshoot your budget and the implication of Black Friday will be lost on your finances.
So, it is important to make a list of things you need or even want and make a budget of the amount you are willing to spend.
Maybe you can leave a little window to splurge by making a provision in your budget for miscellaneous (items you might want to buy impulsively).
But whatever the case, make up your mind to keep your shopping within the budget.
Knowing what you want to buy will also help you organise your shopping because you will be able to focus on the products you want to buy instead of shopping haphazardly.
2. Know where you want to buy it
There are so many retailers out there; both online and offline. One would think the availability of many options will make choosing easy but the reverse is actually the case.
The fact that there are many options makes making a decision more difficult. The best way to deal with this confusion is to have an idea of the retailers one would want to buy from before Black Friday.
Many retailers – although they sell a variety of products – usually have specialty. What this means is that while one can get the best electronics from certain retailers, when it comes to clothing, they might not have the best.
So, knowing what you want to buy and knowing the retailers that specialise in the products you need will go a long way to streamline the retailers you want to buy from.
3. Compare prices in shops
The point of Black Friday is to get products at cheaper prices, so it is only wise to make sure that you get them at the cheapest price possible.
Do thorough research to compare the prices of different retailers, so you can make an informed decision.
However, remember to be realistic so you don’t fall victim of internet scam because you are trying to get cheap products.
4. Consider price history (i.e. the normal prices before black Friday)
It is important that the products you buy during Black Friday be at discounted prices.
It might be necessary to check the prices of the products you are interested in before Black Friday, so you can be sure that you are actually getting them at discounted prices.
Also, you should research the price history to be doubly sure.
The truth is that even though Black Friday is about discount, retailers are really there to make profits and will not watch out for you like you will watch out for yourself.
5. Download Black Friday apps
Most people shop online these days because of how easy it is to get everything they need without leaving the comfort of their home.
Everyone knows how rowdy stores can be during Black Friday, so skipping all that stress is an advantage online shoppers enjoy.
However, you are more likely to enjoy shopping online by downloading shopping apps instead of using the web version.
Again, many retailers give shoppers with the app an edge over others. There are usually deals that are only available to you when you download the app.
6. Stay up late on Thursday to make your purchase at 12 am on Friday
Black Friday starts at exactly 12 a.m on Friday and the best deals are usually available then.
Thus, early shoppers might exhaust the best deals. If you want to be part of those to enjoy the best deals, you should forfeit sleeping early on Thursday or setting an alarm to wake you up.
7. Avoid fake websites
There are so many fake websites and one cannot be too careful because apart from the fact that you can get fake products, fake websites might mean giving scammers access to your card details.
One of the ways of knowing a fake website is by checking the padlock in the address bar next to the website address. If a website is lacking that, it means the website is not secure and you might want to avoid that website.
Websites that carry “s” in the “//https://” are secure. Anyone that doesn’t carry “s” is not secure and should be avoided.
Also, stay away from deals that are too good to be true, and ensure you use websites with secure payment systems.
8. Understand return policies
Different retailers have different return policies and they usually have it at the bottom of the page.
If you buy a product from them without reading or understanding their return policy and it doesn’t turn out in your favour, the retailer will be protected by providing the information.
So, it is important to note if they have provisions for returning products or they expect you to handle the cost of shipping for returned products.
Also note that some retailers have different return policies for certain products, so return policies might differ from product to product.
9. Don’t just focus on Fridays
Shoppers erroneously think that the best deals are only available on Fridays and that is not always the case.
There are certain deals that pop up during the week because some retailers spread out their deals for two weeks or even the whole of November.
So, check-in once in a while during the week.
10. Consider the shipping price
The shipping price might make some deal practically useless because of the amount you will have to spend shipping the product.
Consider and compare the shipping policy and shipping cost of different retailers and even products before making a decision on the deal.
I hope these tips will help you get the best deals this Black Friday.
