We loaded ourselves with coffee and staked out our favorite stores. We found crowds, shelves emptied, hot dry air piped through the stores, and checkout lines that wrapped the entirety. We went home with one purchase; a sewing machine that I have yet to attempt but swear I will someday. For now, it sits in my closet. It became our one and only Black Friday “shopping spree.” A bit disappointing since we view ourselves as savvy bargain hunters!
The success of Black Friday is measured in terms of whether the retailers will end the year “in the black” or “in the red.” Black=profit, red=loss. Not only has Black Friday hit the internet, but it may even offer more for the avid bargain hunter. The day after Thanksgiving, and as my mother will announce every year like clockwork, “Thanksgiving is early this year” or “Thanksgiving is late this year,” Black Friday is the official kick-off to the shopping season.
What was once only a day, is now a season. Some stores offer Black Friday sales the weekend prior Thanksgiving and others are offering Black Friday prices as early as 1am on Thanksgiving Day. With Black Friday and Black Friday weekend sales, this has made way for Cyber Monday where there are sales that may not be as doorbusting as Black Friday, but certainly deserve a peek. “Doorbusters” or “earlybird” means these items may be worth the trip to the store before you’ve fully digested your turkey dinner.
Your first and possibly your only stop in the road to sale discovery is http://www.black-friday.net/. It lists numerous stores and their specific items on sale but also offers a notification system that will send you their sale ads via email as soon as they are available. Make sure you sign up! These sales are either strictly online, strictly in-store, or offered in both. There’s even a category list so you can compare prices. Walmart is offering Blackberrys with a $100.00 gift card only before Thanksgiving. MacMall is offering 12 whole weeks of Black Friday sales! Best Buy, Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Home Depot, Lowes, Michaels, JoAnn Fabric, AJ Wright, Old Navy, Target, Kmart, Kohl’s, Macys, Tommy Hilfiger, Staples, Sears, Pep Boys, Modells, even Rite Aid. Many more, so go check it out!
If you know your generous-sized mother-in-law needs a robe, go ahead and sign up for mailings from Woman Within, or if crazy Uncle Larry collects nostalgic 50’s reproduction collectibles, sign up for Betty‘s Attic. Many of the offers online are simply an email away! Also, when ordering multiple items from the same store, consider your coupon offers. I have used the same coupon code 3 times in the same day when ordering clothing by phone. Place your first item order with the coupon code, then call back and when they ask if you’d like to add to your prior order, say “No, this is a separate order” then use the same code you used earlier. It works, and I’ve saved hundreds. Try it with other stores and see if it works.
The sales are out there. Do you believe you will be the one in three to win the doorbuster race at Sears early Friday morning after practically devouring your Aunt Mable’s Table the night before? If you love the thrill of the hunt, go ahead! If you want more certainty in the comfort of home while eating leftover pumpkin pie in your jammies then by all means, get comfortable with credit card in hand. I vote for jammies! And don’t forget Ebay.
