Thanksgiving- Light up your Black Friday with these Shopping Tips!

Black Friday is synonymous with large crowds of aggressive bargain hunters, contending with messy stores and clueless employees just to get the gift list squared away by Christmas. This is an exciting time for many shoppers, but it is a nightmare for many others. The sheer number of people that go to the malls is only outdone by the number of deals that are provided by stores. Many people shun most forms of shopping for the entire weekend, either because they can’t stand crowds or they’re turned off by the notion of people shopping from pre-dawn 'til after dark. Here are some Tips to Help Light up your Black Friday Shopping!

1) Shop Online!

Stop and think about it…it’s probably the smartest thing to do…No Crowds…No Lines…No Parking woes…you don’t even have to change out of your pajamas! Remember that shopping isn't just limited to the stores. Online shopping centers will also have deals on this day. What’s more, many online retailers offer sales and special discounts on the Friday after Thanksgiving — and sometimes those sales kick in at midnight on the night before Black Friday. But things on the internet are just as susceptible to getting picked and going out of stock as things in the store. Because of that, you need to go about searching for the best deals over the internet as soon as Black Friday hits.

2) Do your Research Before-hand

Organization is a key to conquering Black Friday whether shopping online or at retail stores. Either way to avoid missing great deals, rushing into buying something you don’t really need and freaking out running amuck and ultimately stressing yourself out, a good idea is to make a list of what you want or gift ideas for certain people and research the deals you can avail on them. Keep back up items in mind incase what your looking for is sold out. Take note of all the newspaper Ads, store timings, time specific deals and coupons. Collect & keep all the coupons (a great way to save!) and lists ready in a safe place for the Big Day!

3) Compare Prices

Use Internet shopping sites like Dealplumber.com, Pricegrabber.com or shopping.com which allow you to compare prices across the web. Find the best price on online, make sure your getting up-to-date information, read merchant reviews, product descriptions, specifications, product reviews, plus pictures and coupons. Reading the user reviews and ratings for various products will give you a general idea of the authenticity of the merchant, service provided and quality of products dealt with.

4) Beat the Early Birds by being a Night Owl Shopper!

Stores offer Early Day Shopper Specials and run deals between 5 a.m. until 11 a.m. with no "rain checks" which means once they run out of the products, you are out of luck. Internet shoppers can beat the Early Birds by shopping online in the pre-dawn hours of Black Friday. Many retailers will be posting their Black Friday specials, which can be ordered, online and picked-up at your local store. A lot of sites hold “Web Only” deals that may start as early as Thanksgiving Eve.

5) If you Must Brave the Crowds…..

Be prepared with your list, back-up list, newspapers cuttings of Ads, store timings and coupons. Decide which stores you’ll visit first, prioritize items in your list and shop accordingly to avoid losing out on what you need/ want most. Dress comfortably – warmly enough for the outdoors but not so much for when you’re in stuffy crowed stores. Take along the right shopping buddy a spouse family member or friend (avoid taking your kids) and use the ‘Divide and conquer’ policy. This will make it easier to take advantage of the early-bird deals in different stores. Ensure your getting a good bargain….this is where your research should pay off and remember when purchasing any product that ‘A bad product is a bad deal no matter how cheap it costs!’

Follow these simple tips to Light up your Black Friday. Let the day be fun and advantageous and not stressful. If you’re Lucky you’ll get some great deals and can tick off some of those things from your list, if not, don’t fret you’ve got the rest of shopping season to pick up a bargain…and trust me there’ll be many!