I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t it a little early to be talking about Black Friday? Wasn’t Halloween last week? Shouldn’t we get a moment to take a beat and catch our breath before plowing into the holiday season?
Well, yes and no. Yes, it feels early to be talking about Black Friday already. However, in a year that’s been anything but typical, nothing surprises me anymore. If you’re thinking about the holiday season and wondering how stores will mitigate busy crowds in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, the answer is Black Friday spread out over the course of an entire month.
In order to stimulate spending while driving down masses of people, many brick-and-mortar retailers are changing their policies while offering more deals than ever before. This strategy will hopefully prevent the spread of disease while providing more opportunities to get the best prices of the year. But, it may be a little bit confusing. Here’s what you may want to consider while navigating these changing times.
Sales will vary from store to store
While in a traditional year, we can expect Black Friday deals to be on, well Friday, this year, not every store will play by the same rules. Walmart plans on rolling out their Black Friday offerings in three phases, the first beginning on Nov. 4. The second set of bargains appear on Nov. 11. And the final act closing out the month-long bargain season will be Nov. 25.
Since not everyone will be operating on the same marketing plan, you’ll need to be organized and track bargains. One way to do this is by joining my group — The Queen of Free’s Favorite Bargains — on Facebook. Another is to go directly to the websites of stores where you frequently shop and do a little investigation of your own. You may even want to create a spreadsheet to track prices, dates and important information.
Pay attention to price matching
If you’re like me, you may be tempted to wait as long as possible so that you don’t miss out on the lowest price during the holiday season. However, many stores are altering their price match policy this year. Again, the policies vary by stores, however, if a price drops lower than what you purchased an item at and it’s advertised as a Black Friday deal, then you can simply take your receipt to customer service and be given the difference. Both Best Buy and Target have expanded their price match guarantees this year. As you’re looking for sales and prices, be sure to investigate each store’s stance on this opportunity to save.
Use curbside shopping options
I’m probably more geeked out about this option more than any other in this upside-down world of bargain hunting. Many stores will allow you to purchase special deals and even doorbusters online and then pick up items later in the day with the curbside service. That means this year you can shop from the comfort of your couch and pull up later to have an employee place all of those low-priced goodies in the trunk. If you’re interested in taking advantage of this, set your alarm and shop as soon as deals are available. Pick up time slots are certain to fill up quickly.
Shop early online
If you’re using a retailer’s online site, it’s smart to get your shopping out of the way early this year. There are predictions that there may be unusual shipping delays. Pay attention to those predicted delivery dates before you confirm your purchases this year.
Like any other time of the year, Black Friday is a great deal to be sure you’re taking full advantage of coupons, rewards programs, and cash back sites. A smart shopper can stretch their dollars even further to bring all of the holiday cheer this year.
