Is Black Friday Shopping Worth It?

When asking a woman what she would prefer; shopping online or shopping at department stores, she commented, "I love going to stores. I love to see the various selections of clothes and accessories, houseware items and linens. I want to be able to touch everything and look at all the colors and styles."

Although most women may agree, Black Friday is not the day to browse and touch fabrics and visit every department to determine what's new!

Certainly, anyone who goes shopping during the year has a pretty good idea of what each department store has in stock. It's no different on Black Friday, except there are hoards of crowds and a frantic rush to obtain an item that might be on sale for two hours. The pressure is too great.

Not only is it more fun, but a group of shoppers can watch out for each other. Make sure your cell phones are charged and turned on. Shopping in a group means someone can hold your place in line, or go get something you forgot while you wait in line. This avoids tussles and arguments among waiting shoppers, keeping everyone safer.

For example, let's assume you want to purchase an item from Macys. You check the online price and it is no where near the price advertised in your local newspaper. The reason for this is that this particular department store increases their online prices even though they are marked as sale items.

How do you circumvent this anomaly? Arrive at the store about an hour prior to opening. When the doors open; head straight to the department where your item is located. Try not to stop and browse. Stay focused, find your item, check out, and leave.

Conversely, if you are shopping well before Black Friday you can ask the department manager if the item in question will be a sale item on Black Friday and ask if they can hold it for you.

In fact, in the last few years more gift certificates were sold online than any other item. They are convenient and allow the recipient to buy what they really want for the holidays.

You can find any product from any store; you can compare prices; find fabulous deals; and have the items shipped to your home within days.

The advantages to online shopping are immeasurable; however, you still have to be careful in certain respects. Make sure the website you are buying from has the Veri Sign logo; is a well known company or if not, you can reach them by phone; ensure they use the lock at the lower right hand corner of their site when ordering; and that you receive an email detailing your purchase and delivery date.

Say goodbye to long lines. Worried about returns? You don't have to be - the company will send the appropriate labels for returning items. As long as you are careful and know the company you are dealing with, online shopping can be such a wonderful and stress-free way to order just about anything.

The week of Black Friday, check your local newspapers. They will undoubtedly have pages of ads from department stores delineating upcoming sales. If there are coupons available, clip them out. Read the fine print. Sometimes a sale may be for a few hours on a specific day or one day only.

After your Thanksgiving meal, get a head start by going online to see if websites have the same items available as in the stores. You may even be able to find some sales not available in physical stores. Purchasing sales items from a website will also enable you to get the items you want from the comfort of your own home, without having to drive through traffic or dealing with sales-crazed shoppers.

Ensure you have your complete Christmas list ready. Check online prices so that you can compare the items you have selected. Keep in mind that even though the store might have a variety of sales, it is most likely the case that some items may not be a bargain at all and you may find these items cheaper online.

A week before Black Friday, visit the stores where you will most likely shop. Locate the items you have on your list. In this way, you will not waste any time on Black Friday trying to find the specific department that has your item.

Some stores open at 6am, some at 7am. Plan which stores you will go to first depending upon their opening time. Arrive early and head straight to the department where your item is located. This will save valuable time. Conversely, if morning shopping is inconvenient, most stores stay open as late as midnight. You can easily shop in the late evening as well.

Stay focused on the items on your list. Try not to wander into different sections of a store to browse, because while you are looking at other items the check-out lines are getting longer and longer.

You may have seen the long lines outside a store when a popular item is up for sale. There are some department stores and large chains who will allow you to put an item away until Black Friday. It doesn't hurt to ask. In this way, you can pick up the item anytime on Friday.

If you are purchasing electronics, you may want to visit the store beforehand to ensure it is the item you truly want, sometimes the ads in the paper are on the deceptive side.

Compare prices for products on sale. You may be able to find some unadvertised sales not too far from the boxes of new stereos, televisions or game systems. In fact, after you've found the items you can from your list, you might want to look around to see what other sales are available.

Be sure to take along the sales papers from each store you plan to go to. Some stores will match their competitor's sales prices, but you won't get the price if the store isn't aware of the other store's price. Of course, not all stores will match prices, but it's worth a try.

Rather than making yourself an easy target for pickpockets or purse snatchers, take only the debit or credit cards you need, some cash and your driver's license. Leave your purse at home and put your cards and cash in front pockets as they're not as easy to pick as back pockets. If you must bring a purse, be sure it's small and can easily be placed over the shoulder and across your body.

Again, take only your driver's license and the debit or credit cards you know you'll use. You may also want to carry cash if you don't use plastic and carry it in a pocket rather than a purse. Cover the panel when inputting your PIN and put the cards away as soon as you're done.

If you plan to use cash for your purchases, get the money from the bank or ATM a day or so before Black Friday. People getting money from an ATM are an easy target for thieves. Thieves know you have money and many have no qualms about hitting or otherwise injuring you to get the cash you've just withdrawn. Use only well-lit machines which can be found inside stores if you have to get cash during the day.

Try to shop at stores with security strong and present. Some stores will hire extra security guards during Black Friday sales to ensure their patrons are safe. If a store doesn't have a security force, they may not be a safe store to shop.

Be sure your cell phone is fully charged before you leave. Place your phone in a front pocket or inside your bra if you're a woman. Don't lose it and be prepared to use it if you need to.

Let your family know where you're going and keep in touch during the day. Write down the stores you'll go to, in which order, and approximate times you'll get to each one. Call them and let them know when you've left one store so they know where you are on your list.

While Black Friday is exciting and it's almost a rush to get a great deal, remember that no deal is worth someone's safety or life. Don't push or get impatient in line; it may start something much bigger than you can't control! If things seem to be heating up - say you are going for an item that another person is grabbing at the same time - then don't be afraid to let it go. It's only a few dollars, and it's not worth a fight or worse.

2011 Ad Leaks coming soon..... stay tuned ;-)
Have you spotted a great deal leaked already? Leave a comment below and tell me about it!