This post is all about how to have a successful Black Friday shopping experience.
What do I love after the sweet potato casseroles from thanksgiving meals? Black Friday shopping of course!!!
Black Friday is a day that a lot of people get excited about, including me.
The frenzy. The chaos. The lines. I love all of it.
Do you think I’m crazy? There’s a reason I love all this holiday so much. It’s because I like planning and I go Black Friday shopping prepared.
Let me help you stress less too.
Here is a timeline leading up to the big day of Black Friday Shopping that you should consider following for a successful experience.
This post is all about how to have a successful Black Friday shopping experience.
Disclaimer
I am not an expert in Black Friday shopping and only speak from my experiences. This post is my personal opinion and should be used for informational purposes only. I cannot guarantee that you will have a successful experience as I’ve had but I can guarantee that you’ll be less stressed on Black Friday than you would be without my help. So enjoy and get planning!
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Let’s begin.
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How To Have a Successful Black Friday Shopping Experience
One Week Before Black Friday Shopping
Create A Checklist
At least one week before you go Black Friday shopping, you want to create some kind of checklist.
You can create a checklist of all the gifts you want to buy for other people. You can create a checklist of all the gifts you want to buy for yourself. Or you can do both (which is probably what most people do anyway.)
Create A Budget
After you have created your checklist(s), you’ll want to create a budget list for every item on your checklist. This is so that you have a clear idea of how much you are willing to spend on that item.
You can set a budget for how much you’re willing to pay with a sale or without a sale. But the point of shopping for Black Friday is to shop with the sales so don’t even bother with the non-sale items. (Those are boring on this day.)
For example, let’s say I would only buy XXX for $30 or less. If it’s not $30 or less, I won’t get it at all.
But of course, there are exceptions.
Maybe you really really want it. Since you’re already there, you might as well buy it. But I want you to keep in mind that Black Friday is designated for heavy sales on loads of items.
So if you’re gonna buy non-sale items, you might as well wait till Black Friday is over.
You should definitely prioritize buying the on-sale items when you’re Black Friday shopping because you want to minimize the number of long lines you have to stand in as much as possible. (Trust me, they get ridiculous.)
5 days before Black Friday Shopping
Research
About 5 days before Black Friday, you’ll want to Research all the online sales that interest you.
Sometimes, stores will have better deals and more options than in-store stock.
So, utilize the internet now while you still have time.
You definitely do not want to wait to research for online shopping the day of. A lot of your wanted items will most likely be out of stock by then.
Bookmark Websites
While you’re doing your online store research, you’ll want to make sure you’re saving your websites on your browser.
You can bookmark it on your browser or you can simply write a list of all the stores you have found potential sales on.
Make it as easy as possible for you to access these sites when the big day comes.
Check Device/ Internet Quality
In addition to preparing for your big day, you need to make sure the devices that you are using are up to par with the heavy work that it’s about to do
. Make sure you have a good working laptop. Make sure you have good working internet.
The last thing you want is slow loading pages.
The time it takes for you to add an item to your cart and actually place the order is SO important because those items could be sold out before you even complete the buying process.
It hasn’t happened to me yet but I’m sure it has happened before.
4 days before Black Friday Shopping
Research For In-Store Shopping
Honestly, you can research in-store shopping or research online stores this day and switch between the 4 days before and 5 days before part of this list. Do whatever makes sense to you!
The main idea here is that you do your research days in advance.
You’re going to want to research which stores are offering Black Friday sales (which should be a majority) and which stores start Thanksgiving night.
My go-to place for Thanksgiving night was is always the mall after 6 PM. Going to malls outside of my hometown is my absolute favorite. (There are normally bigger malls with more options.)
Decide Which Days Are For Which Store
Do you plan on going shopping on Thanksgiving night? Are you only shopping on Black Friday? Are you only shopping Thanksgiving night?
You need to plan these things for a less stressful experience!
Make A Priorities Gift List
Make a priority gifts checklist. Which gifts do you absolutely must get for whomever?
These are the gifts that you want to look for first when you go Black Friday shopping.
The reason could be because the item is in high demand or you’ve absolutely set your mind on what you want to get this particular person.
Prioritizing your gifts ensures that you actually accomplish what you want to get done during your Black Friday shopping.
Every other non-priority item is just for funsies. If you get it, you get it. Whoopie.
You don’t want any regrets during this frenzy event (hehe that kinda rhymed.)
3 Days Before Black Friday Shopping
Double Check Checklists
Take this opportunity to go through your checklists again.
See if there are items or ideas that you’d like to add to your list. Maybe you saw something online during your research that you want to add.
After you do that, see if there are any items on the list that don’t sound as good to you anymore.
You should take those off so you can prioritize again. Just make sure all of your checklists are exactly how you want them to be because you need a really accurate list for a successful shopping spree.
(Maybe wreck your wallet some more and increase some budgets too…? Lol.)
2 days Before Black Friday Shopping
Rest Day
I have nothing to say regarding Black Friday for 2 days beforehand.
You’ve worked so hard already during the week that you need a little break.
On this day, you should consider preparing for the actual Thanksgiving holiday that is literally TOMORROW!
What food are you going to eat? Who are you inviting over for thanksgiving meals?
You need to prepare for the holiday that comes before Black Friday too.
Although if you want to be a really big smarty, you probably should’ve prepared for Thanksgiving Day a week ago too.
1 day Before Black Friday Shopping
Thanksgiving Day
It’s Thanksgiving Day!
Enjoy the Holiday with your friends and family and eat lots of yummy foods.
My personal favorite is the mashed sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top.
(No, not Turkey. Turkey was always too dry for me. Sorry to anyone who has ever fed me Turkey on Thanksgiving Day.)
The Night Before Black Friday Shopping aka still thanksgiving Day
Early Shopping
Why wait until Black Friday to go Black Friday shopping if the stores and sales are starting the night before??
I absolutely love going Black Friday shopping the night before Black Friday.
The chaos of all the people in one area is so exhilarating for me. It’s one of my favorite recurring adventures.
I find it so funny how Walmarts have to set up tape along the aisles and floors to direct traffic in a certain direction.
The Walmart employees probably get the worst crazies this night. Especially when lots of people are already standing next to the items they want waiting for the associates to unravel the clear wrap.
Most of your shopping might happen on Thanksgiving night if you decide to do shop early. So prepare to spend loads of money.
The Starbucks lines get really long too, especially in the shopping malls. So hopefully you don’t need Starbucks to stay alert.
Please be safe this night. I personally think the night before Black Friday is the craziest.
Black Friday: The Big Day!
Start The Day Right
The day has finally come and you need to start the day right.
I would highly recommend you wake up early. Eat a really good breakfast. Don’t stress. Today is meant to be fun!
When you’re done with all the necessities of your morning routine, start your online shopping.
When you’re done doing online shopping, go In-person Shopping.
Go straight for the items you weren’t able to get last night.
Don’t get distracted. Remember why you’re there! You can do this!
What To Bring
1. Comfortable Shoes
You’re going to be doing a lot of walking this day. If your comfort shoes are sandals, then wear those sandals.
I wear close-toed shoes because there will be many times where rushed people will step on your toes. I want as much cushion between my toes and another person’s toes as possible.
2. Your Wallet With Cards and Cash
You can’t shop without money (duh!)
Don’t be that person that waited in line for 30 minutes only to get to the register and realize they don’t have their wallet.
It’s embarrassing and wasting everyone else’s time since they have to wait for you to get your stuff. (Or they would just hold your stuff and make you get to the back of the line after you retrieved your wallet.
3. Activities For When You’re In Line
Your phone or a book should be enough. Or a shopping buddy to talk to. Or enjoy the loud sounds of yelling parents and crying babies.
4. Sunglasses And A Hat
This is mainly for the people that plan to shop in outdoor shopping areas. The last thing you want is to be blind from the bright sun.
Ending Note
Just remember that this is a popular event and a lot of items may be sold out before you can even get to them.
You’re not the only one that wants that really cool item.
So, have backup plans. Make priority lists. Don’t be too bummed about not getting what you want. At least you tried.
Also, keep in mind that some of your research may not have been accurate to the store’s opening times or the sales that you thought the stores had.
So many things could go wrong on this day so don’t go in with too many or too high of expectations.
I hope you liked these tips and this timeline. I hope you have a very successful Black Friday shopping experience like I do every year. Happy shopping and happy holidays!
This post was all about how to have a successful Black Friday shopping experience.
P.S. Since my Black Friday shopping experience is pretty much stress-free, I spend some of my time sitting in lounge chairs in the mall and look at all the people shopping around with 3+ bags in each hand.
It’s very interesting to see who is enjoying their time, who is grumpy in line, or who is frantically running around to get the good deals.
Island Traveler says
Awesome post. The shopping event is coming soon. Times flies.