It’s the one-day marathon that shopping fanatics look forward to all year long, and it’s almost here. And with every major retailer advertising unbeatable bargains this Black Friday, how do you know where the best deals really are?
Service strategist John Tschohl, author of The Customer is Boss, offers these suggestions to make Black Friday a little bit more manageable:
· Know exactly what you want, because the best deals are in very limited supply, which is why you should never enter a store and just be “window shopping.” Have a detailed list of everything you want to get. To save valuable time, make sure you know ahead of time the differences in models, if you need to purchase any add-ons or accessories and always have a backup store if your first stop runs out.
· Getting online is not enough. While many shoppers will find some incredible deals online, many retailers are offering even more special discounts to those consumers who follow them via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Make sure you’re following all the stores you plan to visit.
· Times are changing. It used to be 6am, 4am, and then Midnight, and now we’re seeing more stores opening Thanksgiving night. Don’t only know what time your favorite stores are open, but those blowout prices on hot-ticket items are sometimes only good during certain times. Walmart, for example, might open at 10pm, but the big midnight madness deals on electronics don’t start for another two hours.
· Don’t go it alone. The competition will be fierce, so take the team approach. Shop with a spouse or friend. While you tackle one area of the store, your shopping companion can hit a different department within the store.
· Don’t forget about Small Business Saturday. Many people don’t know about this 2nd annual event to support small businesses on the busiest shopping weekend of the year, but everyone should check it out as many smaller stores in local communities across the country will be participating and offering some incredible deals. On this same note, don’t forget about Cyber Monday for some incredible online deals.
· If you don’t get the deals you want on Black Friday, wait. Retailers usually run special sales the first two weeks of December. Prices generally go up closer to Christmas for those who wait until the last minute. If you’re eyeing something for yourself, many retailers also run deeply discounted after Christmas sales to reduce their inventories.
Hope you can use these tips from John Tschohl.
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