Five Black Friday Shopping Tips
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Mark Ellwood knows a thing or two about shopping — and what better time to use those handy tips than Black Friday — the infamous holiday tradition.
Customers wake up in the middle of the night on the Friday after Thanksgiving to stand in line at retailers in hopes of scoring goods at a deep discount. To score the best deals, you’ll need to go in prepared, so do your homework.
Ellwood, an etiquette expert, bargain hunter and author of a new book Bargain Fever: How to Shop in a Discounted World, gave these tips to help make this shopping situation a little less stressful.
1. Know your prices before you go in. By checking and comparing prices online, you can go in with a better idea of how much you’ll be saving. At the store, shopping apps, including PriceGrabber, BuyVia and ShopSavvy, can help you figure out what’s a deal and what isn’t.
2. Hide items the day before. We’re not saying you should do this, but some shoppers, if they find an item they absolutely love but are afraid everyone else will love it too, have been known to hide an item in the store so they can pick it up on the sale day.
3. Bring extra padding. You never know how long you might have to wait outside –so it’s a good idea to bring a thick jacket. Plus, it will protect you from those ruthless shoppers!
4. Find peace of mind. Take a moment to breathe! It’s just shopping. If Black Friday gets the best of you, find a dressing room and do some yoga.
5. Get a job at your favorite store. Stores load up on part-timers for the holiday season, and employees have access to deals like no one else.
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