Top 5 Black Friday survival tips

November 12, 7:58 AMSeattle Parenting ExaminerKristy Stevens-Young

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                          Shop, shop, shop!

If you have ever shopped on Black Friday you know how crazy the crowds can be! Oddly enough, Black Friday is the second busiest shopping day of the year with the Saturday prior to Christmas holding the busiest record!

Black Friday Tips:

Shop online
Some stores will allow online sales starting at midnight (their time) which is very nice for all of us here on the west coast. I have ordered CD’s and movies (which often sell very quickly) at the Black Friday price at 9pm our time, and then hit other sites as they “opened” for sales. It is a great way to purchase some of your gifts and save your time for the in-store only deals.

Know which stores price match
Some stores will price match if you have an ad to prove the advertised price. They will have to be a perfect match (especially with cameras, computers etc.) and not have a “10 per store” type thing listed. In other words, they will match the price IF the other store has it in stock. I matched a Nikon camera at Best Buy and got a better lens than was offered at a different store and they let me choose the camera bag and I got one that cost $95!!

Thanksgiving Day Sales
Some stores have sales on Thanksgiving Days – Kmart for example. Why not pick up some 60% off items on the way over to Grandmas? Just add 30 minutes to your drive time and score the kids Christmas pj’s for 50%!

Don’t forget all the “first in the in the door” promotions
 Many stores will offer things such as: $10 gift cards to the first 100 shoppers, free snowballs, scratch off cards with gift cards or money for first 500, free tote bag etc. Many of these can be picked up and then used later in the day if they don’t have a door-buster you need. For example you could pick up a gift card, put it in your purse, turn around run to another store, pick up that gift card and then head to Penney’s for their snow globes and still hit some other door-busters before going back and using your gift cards.

Shop with buddies
That way one can split up and each of you can grab the door-busters for all of you in different stores. I shop with two others and we split up our list and keep in touch by phone. We are always done and able to meet for lunch by noon!