We’re about a month away from black Friday shopping 2016. Are you ready? Should you even care? According to the news this year we should see an uptick of about 4% in sales when compared to last year’s holiday season.
I like to do all my “black Friday” shopping online so I can avoid the crowds. Sometimes though some of the great deals are only found in the stores. I’ll just have to let those deals pass, but to each their own.
Whatever way you plan on shopping during black Friday 2016 you should sort of know what to expect. This is an early heads up to some black Friday tips
Don’t fall for the early deals
Lots of retailers are already showing signs of sales and discounts for the holiday season. Some of them are even advertising them as early black Friday deals. You’re only going to see more of it in early November. Expect to see a lot of “black Friday” ads much early than black Friday week.
You shouldn’t be taking advantage of these deals just yet because they’re supposed to get better. Unless you find something that you absolutely must have and you know it’s a great deal, then you should wait.
When are the good deals supposed to show up? Supposedly, the best of the best will start on the Monday before Black Friday. That’s November 21 for this year 2016.
Watch the deal sites like a hawk
You can expect all sorts of deals to pop up between now and black friday. One of the best ways to get in on these deals is to check the deal sites. Whatever deal site you want to use should be fine, as long as they’re keeping all their stuff up to date.
Want a suggestion? Then check out my post on using deal websites to help you shop. You’d be doing yourself a lot of good if you at least checked out Slickdeals. You can really save yourself a lot of time looking for deals if you use a site to help you.
Stock up on discounted gift cards now
If you know you’re going to shop at a certain store in then why not plan ahead and buy a gift card at a discount to save yourself some money? This is one of the easiest ways to save ahead of the sale. Buy some discounted gift cards and you’ll be double dipping on the savings.
Not sure how to go about getting a discounted gift card? No problem. Just check out my post “how to buy gift cards for a discount” and you should be all set.
TV’s will lead the electronic sales
It happens every Black Friday, and you can expect it again this year. What exactly can you expect? How about a lot of TVs to go on sale this time of year. Past history of TV pricing has shown that some of the best deals come around this time year. Yes, you read that correctly, “some” of the best deals. Not all of them. Sometimes you’re better off waiting, but when is that the case?
From what I have seen on TV deals it’s best to usually wait if you’re looking to buy a higher quality and usually also more expensive TV. The TVs that you’ll see go for great discounts are not usually the higher end TVs. They’re going to be your lower end TVs, and sometimes your middle of the way TVs. Just be armed and ready with all the info about 4K, SUHD, HDR, Hertz, and all the other TV mumbo jumbo. That way if you see a TV set that fits your specs you can jump on the deal.
The good news is that you’re going to have a lot of TV deals, but the bad news is that they’re going to sell out of these deals. So if you find a really good deal from somewhere that you must have then check into whether or not the store has any “guarantee” that you’ll get it. In 2015 Walmart had a guarantee for people that waited outside the store at least an hour before they opened. Anyone that did that was guaranteed to get the discounted pricing even if they ran out of stock.
Here’s some more good news. If you miss out on a TV deal don’t worry about it so much if it’s not a gift this year (if it’s a gift for this year then maybe worry a little). Because the good news is that electronics are always getting better and faster, and while you wait, that same TV you tried to get for $500 today will be selling for $400 tomorrow.