Your Guide to Keeping Your Head on Black Friday
Look, I get it, you’re out in this magical, messy, riveting world where all that glitters really seems like gold and the discounts are too good to pass up. You’ve got three vacuum cleaners in your trolley, and you’ve just spotted another at half price. Should you buy it? Sure, you tell yourself, you’ll find some use for it or sell it and make a profit, right? Wrong. Just put it down. Release the vacuum cleaner and move on. Jokes aside, we’ve all been the victims of Black Friday sales, and I’m no stranger to the unused products collecting dust in my attic. The most important piece of advice I’ve ever used, has been the incredible and life-changing shopping list.
How should this shopping list look, you ask?
It should begin with two lists: one will be a “want” list, and the other, much more important one will be the “need” list. Separating the two will save you plenty of time and money. In the moment, it may feel like we need everything we see, and even just the thought of saving a little money can make the urgency feel astronomical. When you have a concise list of things you actually need, staying level-headed becomes a much easier task. Once you’ve gotten everything you need, you can turn to your list of wants, and, budget allowing, treat yourself to a couple of extras.
Other things to keep in mind before and on the day:
Note the pricing beforehand on items you’re interested in, and once the discounts roll around on Black Friday 2021, compare them to see how much you’re really saving. If the item ends up having a discount of only a couple of dollars, and you don’t really need it right now, maybe you should leave it on the shelf. Sales are often not as extreme as they are made out to be, and buying the same product in a couple of months, without the feeding frenzy, will save you the stress and headache.
If the purchase is timely, compare pricing across different stores. This is easily done online, or if you don’t have anything particularly interesting to do that day, take a drive and a gander yourself.
Make a rough calculation of how much you’ll be spending, so you know what to expect, and don’t overspend. If you’re used to winging it, this may seem like overkill and may actually be very difficult, but if you’ve worked out how much you’re spending on things you need, your trolley full of things you don’t might bring you back down to earth.
Try to complete your shopping on Friday. Not only is that the day that will have the most deals, stock, and options, but it will also limit your spending once again. Being early also guarantees you’ll probably face fewer crazed shoppers and long queues. The same goes for online shopping – get it done early, get it done Friday. If you’re an online-only shopper than Cyber Monday is another option, though usually the deals on that day are different.
Use an app to compare deals and products. There are several that offer their own discounts and coupons as well, and these will show you the best deals in the run up to the big day. With all the hard work done for you, all you’ve have to do is show up and take what you need.
Don’t let the pricing fool you when it comes to those pesky discount stickers. Yes, they may say you’re getting a huge discount, but half the time the “original” price is just a higher version, and your “discounted” rate is the usual one. This is the oldest trick in the book, yet we still seem to fall for it. Why? Because we love the thought of saving money , even if we aren’t really doing that at all. Once again, apps are your friend. Research the real price of items and then compare them to the offered discounts. If you’re happy with the money you’re saving, go for it.
Follow your favorite shops online, be it on social media or sign up for their newsletter. You’ll be the first to know about their discounts, and they usually offer early access to their mailing list, as well as seasonal coupons and discounts, so you won’t necessarily need to do it all on Black Friday.
