Image via Complex Original
There is nothing more polarizing this time of year than Black Friday shopping. Some can’t stand the idea, while others are already lining up outside of stores—and some are just curious about how the whole thing goes down. As it goes every year, Black Friday deals were leaked the day after Halloween, so if you’re one of the few who have never experienced it, but want to venture out this year, buckle up. Here’s a semi-official, completely helpful guide to everything you should know before you hit the Black Friday shopping circuit.
Waiting Until Black Friday for Deals
Black Friday is no longer just one day—it has morphed into a month-long shopping extravaganza. While some retailers keep grabbing headlines over whether or not they’re opening on Thanksgiving, others like Wal-Mart and Amazon started rolling out Black Friday deals the day after Halloween. If you know what you want, the best deals on that item could be happening right now.
Expecting to Find the Best Deal of the Year on Everything
Everybody knows that if you’re going to plunk the cash down on the 300-inch curved screen, 4D TV of the future, it’s best to do so on Black Friday. Electronics and appliance prices get famously slashed down on that day, but non-promotional items like clothing or kitchenware oftentimes see deeper discounts at other times of the year.
Not Committing to the Lines
You’ve got to be one step short from a professional line sitter to take on the Black Friday crowds because the people who are out there at 2 a.m. are not messing around. The ability to wait for hours to maybe—just maybe—score on a glorious sale is what Black Friday shopping pros live for.
Going Into Stores Blindly
Seriously, pro Black Friday shoppers will stake out the layout of a store beforehand in order to map out the most efficient route to the goods. Is there a side door? Where will the promotional merchandise be displayed? These are deep, burning questions for pro Black Friday-ers. Try to keep up.
Expecting Starbucks to Fuel You
The last thing you want to do at 4 a.m. in the morning in the midst of a sea of rabid shoppers is to stand in any unnecessary hour-long lines. That is exactly what Starbucks will be until at least around 10 a.m., when people start to drop out and go home. Brew coffee beforehand and smuggle it in. You’ll be thankful when you see that absurdly long Starbucks line.
Not Bothering to Match Prices
Many of the mega-retailers offer price-matching programs where they’ll match the price of the same item found somewhere else for cheaper. Serious shoppers compare ads beforehand and take advantage of the program to be more efficient about what stores they hit on Black Friday.
Trying to Retain Dignity in Public
This is not your average shopping trip; it’s total madness in the middle of the night. It’s the one time of the year when you can drag out your most basic fit into public view and nobody will even notice. Go for it. You’ve earned it.
Holding Places in Line
Never get Shanghaied into holding someone’s place in line. When they return to resume position, everyone who witnesses it will put you on their blacklist, which isn’t good especially because you’ll be seeing these same people in the same lines all morning long.
Forgetting Food
Like Starbucks, food is essential to keep shopping at a breakneck pace for hours on end. But again, those McDonald’s lines are going to be crazy long and it’s a lot of time wasted for the instant gratification of a $1 McMuffin. Go sustainable and bring Thanksgiving leftovers to dip into all night, like a normal person.
Not Looking Online
There's a chance you can avoid the embarrassment if you do a little online research before you venture out into Black Friday insanity. A lot of retailers hold similar sales online as they do in stores and it’s a whole lot easier to click a few buttons and score a great deal than it is to stand in line for hours and trample hundreds of people to try and get the same thing. If you know what you’re looking for, check out online Cyber Monday deals too. The discounts could be even deeper online on that day.
