As an avid black Friday shopper, I decided to write a post discussing my strategy for maximizing savings and minimizing frustration on black Friday. NYMG always has the best tips for which games to buy for your loved ones, and now we can be your one-stop site for everything video games and holiday buying. Here is a 6 step plan for any shopper:
1. Make a chart of opening times
Because many places open at different times, it is important to know exactly when different stores open. You should be able to get to at least 4 door buster openings in one morning.
Best Buy: 7am
Target: 12am
Walmart: 12am
RadioShack: 6am
Gamestop: 12am
Toys R Us: not released, but 12am in 2011
Sam’s Club: 7am
2. Decide which door busters are worth it.
When you decide to door buster somewhere like Best Buy, you end up sacrificing most of your prime Black Friday shopping time. Yes, Best Buy will have new and in demand games like Assasins Creed III for the shocking price of $35 dollars, but is that max $25 in savings worth passing up so many other great deals? You need to ask yourself what kind of Black Friday-er you are. Are you the kind who finds one deal, the best deal, and gets it no matter the cost? Are you a maximalist Black Friday-er who wants to hit so many deals that you throw your back out on the way to the car (yes, yes I did that last year)? Is it the thrill of the hunt? The pushing? Shoving? Falling head over heals into a bin of ethernet cords? Or are you a long-hauler? Content to spend the hours sipping home-made hot chocolate and basking in the warmth of the hand-warmers you stuffed in your socks and gloves and hat as you wait, #3, in a line of over 200?
Whatever the answer, make sure you choose your deals accordingly. It is unrealistic to get a true doorbuster at places like Target and Best Buy and still get the free batteries that Radio Shack always gives away. Such is life.
3. Ask beforehand about vouchers.
Many times I have been first in line for a door buster only to find out that the item I sought had actually been raffled off several hours before. Because of the liability and safety issues that surround having hordes of people running through your store for one coveted object, many stores have started giving out vouchers to the first people in “line” on the evening of Thanksgiving. While it may prevent death, it still goes against ever fiber in my Black Friday loving body. No pain, no gain.
Toys-R-Us as well as Best Buy is notorious for doing this. To avoid the bloodshed, they pass out vouchers that guarantee you will get a particular item. Now, if you figure out the when and where of this voucher-giving, you could use this to your advantage. With a voucher in hand, you could avoid the pitfalls of tip #2, instead getting all the door busters you desire through vouchers. I, however, have never been able to figure out how these vouchers work. Anecdotally, it seems the employees are directed to hand them out when a predetermined number of people get in line or when it reaches a predetermined time. Because I’m usually a rush-to-the-bin not a wait in liner, I miss out on these. If you understand the nuances of these, please feel free to comment.
4. (The most important of them all) READ THE FINE PRINT
Sure, $35 Assassin’s Creed sounds amazing, but does the fine print say *Limit: 2 per store? Lack of reading the fine print has burned up precious Black Friday shopping time for me on multiple occassions. The big box electronic stores are particularly famous for doing this. sure, a $200 55in Plasma TV is an amazing deal, but if there is only 2 per store, then what are the chances of getting one? And if you are #3 in line, you might as well pack up shop and head for the local Sams Club (which has always given away a free breakfast sandwich to Black Friday practitioners).
Other times, you will get a coupon for the rebate or free item, or you will get in store credit rather than straight money off an item. Don’t get duped by these half-deals. Make sure you wield all the available knowledge before you commit to a store. Your wallet (or pocket of loose money, which is how I roll) will thank you.
5. Finally, and this is a personal one, don’t cut. And don’t let cutters get away with it.
Sure, last Black Friday I was about 2 seconds away from getting in a fist fight with a 6’3 250lb red head guy trying to buy cheap dolls for his supposed kids. But I stood up for the side of justice. I screamed and yelled and shamed the people who decided that when the line zigged, it also zagged, creating this weird cutter’s fork. One line went around the whole store, but just before the registers, a group of cutters were trying to pretend as if it also just magically branched off to a line of 15 people. NO. NOOOOOO. Not on my watch.
Well I hope this has been educational for everyone. And if you see me on Black Friday, stay out of my way.
