You Don’t Need to Shop on Black Friday to Get Black Friday Discounts
In the old days, Black Friday was a great day for holiday shopping. You got up early, drove to the mall and queued up, like everyone else who wanted a good price for a new TV, a frying pan, or a popular children’s toy at the time.
But as we get more comfortable with online shopping, Black Friday “just one day” offers are slowly and steadily expanding. We first had Cyber Monday, Monday after Black Friday, for online trades. Free Shipping Day occurs somewhere around December 15th. And don’t forget about retailers who are offering Thanksgiving discounts, whether online or in stores staffed by scheduled lottery losers.
Black Friday is no longer a one day madness
So if you feel like Black Friday is lasting longer than ever before, that’s because it is. According to a new report from ClarkDeals.com , there is now an 11-day stretch of trades at the Black Friday level, from November 22 to December 2.
But even though the offers last for several days, shoppers still think they need to get up early Friday morning to get big discounts. A poll by ClarksDeals found that 59% of shoppers still see Black Friday as the best time to shop.
“There will still be messengers,” said Charis Brown, managing editor at ClarkDeals.com. But retailers know that by offering a longer shopping period for bargains, they are more likely to attract shoppers who don’t want to queue up to get those door jams at 6am.
How to avoid the lingering madness of Black Friday
So maybe you’re looking at your calendar, you know, planning your Thanksgiving celebration, and you’re wondering how early you need to start paying attention to deals. Are you going to miss your chance to save money on everything on your list?
Believe me, this is not the case. Stores won’t miss this chance to bombard you with daily deals and low prices from here until New Years.
But if you want to avoid the analytical paralysis that can accompany this extended Black Friday sale, there are a few simple steps you can take to shop with confidence.
Brown shared one tip from her website’s namesake, Clark Howard: If you’re shopping online, put the item you’re looking for in your shopping cart so you don’t lose sight of it. Then compare purchases from Google Shopping, Rakuten (formerly eBates), Amazon, or your favorite price checker . If the quantity is unlimited, or the sale doesn’t end in an hour, you can take your time checking competitors’ prices.
If you already have an idea of what items you want to purchase this holiday season, you can even start checking out now . Price inflation sets in. Black Friday is real, and a quick overview of prices can give you an idea of what price tags and associated discounts you can expect on these items at the end of November.
If your secret is to skip the discount dance is to buy early and get retailers to match the price if it is discounted later, be sure to check seller price compliance or price adjustment policies first. Last year, several major stores, including Walmart, suspended their Thanksgiving weekend price comparisons.