If you’re like me, you love scoring good deals and there is
no better day to do just that then on Black Friday! With the promise of a
record shattering deal on your mind, sometimes it is easy to get caught up in
the excitement of the day and you may actually end up overpaying for something.
Keep reading below to ensure your Black Friday goes exactly as planned and that
you score the deal of the century!
When you are an aging senior living independently, it is
imperative that you obtain personal protection that allows you to continue with
your chosen lifestyle while offering you the safety and protection you deserve.
Now, I bet you’re wondering, where can I
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lifetime by getting yourself Life Alert today!
Consumer Reports[1]
is here to help you get the best deals on items you want and keep the
frustration and overspending to a minimum with the tips they are offering
below. Ready, set, GO!
1. Start early.
Gone are the days when Black Friday simply meant checking the Sunday circulars
to see which local retailers had the best deals. Black Friday has morphed into
a whole month of deals and savings, and online retailers also regularly update
prices throughout the event. To judge how good the actual sales really are once
it's crunch time, you'll need to track the deals leading up to Black Friday.
The same goes for Cyber Monday, which now stretches into a week of online
specials.
2. Do your
homework. Only rookies head out on Black Friday unprepared. Getting
ready means studying the ads—in print and online—the weekend before
Thanksgiving. And we'll be helping you sift through the best (and worst) Black
Friday deals at retailers such as Best Buy, Costco, Dell, BJ's, Target, and
Walmart. There are now dozens of Black Friday websites where you'll find tons
of leaked Black Friday ads. We regularly check bfads.net, bestblackfriday.com,
dealnews.com, theblackfriday.com, and blackfriday.gottadeal.com. Sign up and
these sites will send you deal alerts, which you can typically filter by
product category.
3. Use price and
coupon tools. You don’t have to go retailer-by-retailer to compare
prices. Try Google Shopping, plus services such as NexTag, PriceGrabber,
Pricewatch, and Shopzilla. In the store, apps such as BuyVia, Flipp, ShopKick,
ShopSavvy, and Shopular loaded on your phone let you scan bar codes or QR codes
to compare prices, get discounts, and score coupons. Many Black Friday sites, such as the ones
listed above, have their own shopping apps. And so do major retailers such as
Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart. Amazon's Mobile app, for example, lets
you use a smartphone camera to scan products and price-shop online. But direct
comparison shopping can be really tough in the run-up to Black Friday and the
holidays. One reason is that some large retailers have their best deals on
models you didn't see earlier in the year, or that aren't available at other
stores. That can make comparison shopping hard, if not impossible. This is
particularly true of TVs. It's a hugely popular category this time of year—and
one that generates lots of great deals, along with plenty of confusion. See
"Consider a 'Derivative' Model," below, for details.
4. Use loyalty
programs. Stores often have loyalty programs that offer sales and
promotions to their members first, then let them earn rewards on what they buy.
Signing up for Black Friday shopping alerts will get you the early word on
promotions, coupons, and discounts. In some cases, you can even find out
whether the products you want are in stock or eligible for a buy online/pick up
at the store option that saves you on shipping.
5. Get social.
The Facebook pages and Twitter feeds of your favorite retailers are a great way
to find out about deals and promotions. Retailers will often reward customers
who like or follow them with special alerts to Black Friday discounts and
incentives. And of course texts, tweets, and social media posts are an easy way
to share Black Friday shopping intel with your friends.
6. Create a
budget—and stick to it. Yes, this sounds simple. But Black Friday
sales, especially the doorbuster specials available in limited quantities, are
designed to get you into a store so that the retailer can sell you something
else. And once there, it's easy to get caught up in the buying excitement.
Decide ahead of time how much you want to spend on your Black Friday shopping
spree, and do your best to resist impulse buying, especially if you're not sure
how good a specific deal is. If you find that you're too free with your charge
cards, try buying with cash this year and see whether you have better
self-control. But if you are sufficiently disciplined, buy with a credit card
that doubles the manufacturer's warranty and then pay it off before any
interest accrues.
7. Check all store
policies in advance. It's always good to know a store's price-match and
return policies. We expect more retailers to price-match specific online and
in-store deals this year. Almost all of the major retailers have some form of
price-match policy, and they've been expanding them almost every year. But some
stores might suspend their price-match guarantees during the Black Friday
weekend on certain items, so read the fine print. Check the return and exchange
policies for Black Friday sales to make sure that the store won't charge a
restocking fee for any item you bring back.
Tips For TV Shopping
Televisions deserve some special attention because so many
people shop for them at this time of year. The TV aisle may have some of the
best deals in the entire store—along with a few of the most confusing ones.
That's why these last three tips are just for TV shoppers.
8. Consider a
"derivative" TV model. Starting in October, you may see
low-priced TVs made specifically for Black Friday, and some are available only
through a single retailer. These sets are called “derivatives” in the TV
industry because they’re similar to the regular production models we see all
year but with different model numbers and often fewer features. (For example,
they may have fewer HDMI inputs or come with a simpler remote control.) Some of
these TVs can be a good deal. For example, last year a 55-inch Samsung
derivative we tested was about $170 cheaper than the TV it was based on, and it
performed equally well in CR’s tests. Other TVs may not be true derivatives,
but also get introduced at this time of year. It's hard to judge the quality of
derivatives and new-for-the-holidays sets, and it's difficult to compare
prices, too. After all, if a set is being sold at only one retailer, you can’t
shop around or ask a store to honor a price-match guarantee. Consumer Reports
will report on heavily promoted sets as they come on the market, and help you
pick out the better deals.
9. Avoid pricey
accessories. You've just scored an awesome giant-screen 4K TV at an
all-time low price, so don't blow your savings by splurging on pricey accessories
or extended warranties. (This is where retailers make a lot of their money,
hence the hard sell.) If you know you'll need an HDMI cable, buy it in advance
from an online retailer such as monoprice.com or bluejeanscable.com. That way
you won't be pressed into overpaying at the store, where you might pay $35 for
a 6-foot HDMI cable that performs similarly to a cable you can buy for less
than $5 online.
10. Beware the
cheapest set. Super low-price door buster specials draw people in with
visions of savings, but these sets might not be worth the price. You'll
probably be watching your new TV for a number of years. If you're not happy
with its features or picture quality, you could regret not spending an extra 50
bucks to get something better. Also, those loss-leader TVs are usually at their
rock-bottom price. A retailer may have more wiggle room on a step-up model or
flagship model, and you shouldn't hesitate to ask for a better price during
your Black Friday shopping—or throughout the year.
Set your alarm, grab your shopping bags and get ready to
score thanks to the insightful tips above! Not all deals however, are scored
just on Black Friday. If you are an aging senior looking to maintain your
independently lifestyle and steer clear of senior care, I am about to tell you
about the deal of the century. What if you could get 24/7 personal protection
by simply wearing a lightweight, waterproof emergency pendant around your neck
or wrist? Would you jump at the change to keep your independence while upgrading
your at-home safety significantly? If you answered yes, then it’s time to get
Life Alert Protection. While wearing their emergency pendant, you can summon an
emergency medical response fast with just one touch of a button. No matter if
you experience a serious fall, a home invasion or even a home fire, Life
Alert’s dispatch team is available to you 24/7 to send you the proper
authorities fast. This Black Friday, don’t just score a one-time deal; score a
deal that will last you a lifetime by getting Life Alert today! Call
1-800-513-2934 for a free Life Alert brochure.
Works Cited:
Willcox, James K. “Top 10 Black Friday Shopping
Tips for 2018.” Consumer Reports.
12 October 2018. <https://www.consumerreports.org/shopping-retail/top-10-black-friday-shopping-tips/
