Black Friday Ads and Tips

[Ornery]

Disclaimers:  I have never done Black Friday and I hate shopping with a sincere passion. 

We are moving shortly after Black Friday and need appliances, specifically a stainless steel fridge and an at least 46" LCD tv.  I will be braving the Black Friday crowds 

It looks like the best idea is to do research, go with a plan of attack and do it quickly and cleanly.

I've been reading through the ads at various Black Friday websites but do you have any that have worked really well for you in the past or that are proven? 

Any tips?  Please?

[Nitenites]

1. Investigate online, and find the best deal. Then investigate more and find out if you can get the deal that everyone's going to be knocking each other over for by ordering the same item online, in the comfort of your own home. If you can't...

2. Know the layout of the store you plan to shop at. Admittedly, some stores change their layouts a bit on BF, but that's because they have to make room for all the deals. But if you know the layout of the store, your chances of getting a good deal are better. 

3. Get in line early. GO PEE BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE! If it's cold where you live, dress accordingly. Those little chemical-activated handwarmers in your pockets are especially nice. 

[sunnysandiegan]

If you happen to live in an area where you have options on which location for each particular store, then I recommend choosing the general area of town wisely to hit as many places as possible as early as possible.

Make a priority list and save the "maybe" items for later and/or send DH and the kids to just one or two stores near home.

I don't get a newspaper, so I try the paper boxes on Thanksgiving morning. They are hit and miss, so I'll head to the grocery store immediately thereafter to pick one up. I take the physical ads with me with the items circled in thick Sharpies (color-coded). Some store employees need to see the ads to honor certain specials.

TAKE YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR WITH YOU!!!!

[AllyRae]

For things like appliances, shop NOW.  Last year we were in the process of building a new house and needed all new appliances.  We bought our appliances the week before black friday, from Lowes because they were having a "pre-black friday" sale.  It turns out everything we bought was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper than it was on black friday, and we didn't have to fight crowds.  And we had plenty of time to research our options, look at everything closely, and talk to the sales managers without pressure and spur of the moment purchasing.  Remember, most of the black friday sales aren't going to be the highest quality things.  A fridge on black friday clearance will likely be a lower quality model compared to what you'll find on sale the rest of the year.  So, be cautious, especially when making major purchases.

And if you really do want to go black friday, research what you're looking for well ahead of time so you don't fall into the trap of buying it because it's on sale, even if it's a cruddy lower end model that has poor reviews...

[Ornery]

Thank you for the tips!

Allyrae, I will definitely check out the presales.  From what I am seeing the Black Friday sales are for the lower quality fridges so we will see if we can find something in the next couple of days.  As for the TV, my DH just wants to biggest baddest one he can get for his small chunk of $ so we're not as worried about quality on that. 

[Belia]

You know, Black Friday sucks, but it sucks for everybody, so I have always found a strange comaradarie in the crowds.  It's like, everybody is crazy, so everybody is crazy together.  I've never had a bad experience and always ended up chit-chatting with the folks around me.  It's been fun in a weird way.

It's one day.  Listen to Christmas carols on the way, crack jokes with the people around you who are just as insane, tell the crabby cashier "Thanks for being up so early," and stop at White Castle on your way home, then take  a nap.  You'll be fine.

P.S.  OH YEAH!  My one tip!!  At a lot of the stores the biggest issues is the shopping carts, or lack thereof!  If you're going to need one, snag one from someone leaving in the parking lot if at all possible.  If you can't do that because you're in the first wave of shoppers, bring a BIG shoulder bag.

[xmysticprincessx]

You'll have to "camp out" in order to get one of those TVs. Stores normally have just a few of them to get people into the stores. 

My favorite Black Friday site is bfads.net because not only do they have all of the ads, but a search feature too. Look up the specs and reviews on the appliances you're considering. And like others said, the BF deals are normally the bottom of the line models. There will be more deals on this kind of stuff between now and Christmas.

Same thing goes for TVs. There was just a deal on 6ave.com (or something like that) for a big tv for $500 or $600. Similar deal as to what would be offered on BF, with free shipping, and no fighting crowds. A lot of retailers will have the same BF deals online as in store. Amazon.com price matched a lot of Best Buy's doorbusters last year. Check out slickdeals.net for the best deals also.