Happy Black Friday, Now Start Your Shopping!

Happy Black Friday, Now Start Your Shopping!

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Happy “the day after” to you and yours – the day after Thanksgiving, that is.

Today marks the unofficial beginning of the holiday shopping season, the countdown to Christmas which is less than four weeks away. Hopefully, you’ve picked your bird clean, polished off the last of the pumpkin pie, and sent unwanted leftovers home with your guests. After eating the equivalent of three meals in one sitting, you’ll need to get all the exercise you can to Christmas giftput off undesirable bulk. So, strap on your running shoes, throw on your overcoat and do what you do best: shop!

Before you run out, do you have all the tools at your disposal to help you find the best deals? In many locations, the Thanksgiving Day newspaper is the biggest issue of the year – jam packed with ads, advice, and savings tips. You’ll end up spending a significant chunk of your time sifting through all of the ads, but here is one bit of advice that you cannot discount: pull out those ads for stores you’ll want to visit and toss the rest.

Many stores will open early and some will offer specials during their first few hours, great buys that aren’t offered at any other time of the year. This means that if you hit the store when it opens at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m., you stand a chance of finding that four-slice two-slot bagel crisping toaster that your Aunt Bertha wants. Who cares that she lives alone and has no use for the thing? That’s what she wants, so be a good nephew or niece and line up at your local Global*Mart at 4:30 to secure your place in line.

Okay, so getting up before the sun rises isn’t your cup of tea, then what? Well, you’re probably still in luck. Some stores will be fairly well picked over by 8, while others will be restocking all day long. What’s more, you’ll find stores having specials in the morning – 7 to 11/12 – and in the afternoon – 12/1 to 5 – perhaps in the evening too. This year, with the economy being so tight, retailers are competing for customers and will be offering their best deals early. So, if you can’t stand being online out in the cold at some awful hour, grab a cup of coffee and head out a few hours later.

While malls will be jam packed, don’t forget downtown areas even if your business district is only a shell of its former self. Lots of mom and pop stores are still out there, some selling jewelry, others selling clothing, while still others featuring household items. You may not find the best prices on Black Friday at one of these stores but you’ll have smaller crowds to contend with and enjoy one attribute lacking almost everywhere else: customer service.

Finally, if even leaving the home has you dreading traffic, crowds, rude people, and the attendant sore feet, why not simply skip the shopping and stay at home? Computers are a great way to get your shopping done as some of the best buys can be found right online. In fact, the busiest online shopping day is Cyber Monday, the Monday following Thanksgiving when holiday weary employees return to work, log on, and continue to shop…on company time!

Adv. — Do you need some great gift ideas? Does the thought of venturing out to the mall have you stressed even feeling anxious? If so, then look for what you want to buy online! Visit nBuy Plaza to find better deals than your local strip mall. While there, print out Santa’s List and download your free Christmas Party Holiday Kit to help you plan your social events for the month of December, even beyond. Happy shopping!

 

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Categories: Consumer Tips, Fun Stuff

About Author

Matthew C. Keegan

Matt Keegan is a freelance writer and editor as well as publisher of "Matt's Musings", his personal blog. Matt covers campus, consumer, business and financial topics on various websites and blogs, and has been published in the "Houston Chronicle", "Sam's Club Magazine" and "Wisconsin Golfer".