Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year, kicking off the Christmas shopping season and sending millions of Americans into stores before the sun comes up. This year, it is expected that 77 million Americans will go shopping on Black Friday, searching for the best deals on the items they have on their lists.
Is the hassle of getting up early, standing in line with hundreds of other shoppers, and racing through the stores to get that hot ticket item really worth it?
For some, Black Friday is more about the experience than the savings. From an article on MSNBC, Dan de Grandpre, editor in chief of online shopping discount guide dealnews.com, says "There is a visceral excitement to going to stores on Black Friday; it's almost like a sporting event."
For others, finding great deals on holiday gifts may be a necessity. A single mom, for example, may not be running into stores on Friday to go after a flat screen TV, but she may head for the $3 DVD section, or Target's discounted board game section. For her, the small savings on even less-popular items may mean the difference between gifts under the tree or not.
de Grandpre warns that retailers will often times discount lower-end items because they know they'll be able to sell the high-end items closer to Christmas. This may or may not make the deal worth it to you. "If the deal made you say 'Wow!'...that tells you that the deal is probably worth it." de Grandpre said. "If it doesn't make you say that, they why do it?"
Another thing to keep in mind is the added expenses associated with shopping. Will you have to pay for a sitter for your kids? Will you be stopping by Starbucks or McDonalds to get coffee to keep you awake that early in the morning, and then again that afternoon? Will you be driving out of your way, circling a packed-full parking lot, and using more gas? Are you more likely to make impulse purchases as you walk through the well marketed aisles?
One way to avoid these extra costs in to shop online. Cyber Monday is increasing in popularity, and often offers similar deals to Black Friday.
How are you going to do your holiday shopping this year? Shopping on Black Friday, shopping online, or a little of both?
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Comments
I'm shopping online again this year and I'm doing most of it on lilideals.com. They pay cash back on purchases and have a lot of discounts and coupons (lots of free shipping). They give signup bonuses too.
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