Black Friday is a few weeks away! Have you prepared yourself to take advantage of this once a year shopping opportunity?
I have participated before in the lines and door-opener craziness at local stores. But for the last few years, I prefer to do all of my shopping from the comfort of my home. I usually do my Christmas shopping little by little all through the year, or when we visit the US, and try to finish up around Black Friday, Cyber Monday weekend. Read how we decide on gifts here.
5 tips for a successful Black Friday shopping-from-home experience:
1. Have a Plan (i.e. Make a List)
You need to plan ahead so that you can implement a strategy. You’ll want to write down each of the items that you plan to buy and the person that the item is going to be gifted to, even if it's something for yourself.
Click here for a FREE printable shopping strategy.
2. Categorize Your List
Then divide those items into categories. You can hand write it all out on our printable form (above) or use some kind of spreadsheet program and print it out.
You might even have a category for “stocking stuffers.” This is a good place for gift cards of all kinds and it's also where you can list smaller items such as jewelry, socks
and little trinkets.
Here are some examples of categories and what might be in them.
- Electronics: laptops, tablets, cell phones, cameras, electronic reading devices, video games & consoles, GPS devices, Wii, televisions, DVD players.
- Toys: Legos, Frozen, or Disney toys.
- Books and CDs
- Kitchen items: blenders, juicers, espresso machines, Kitchen Aids, lLike my white one, etc.
- Collectibles: Willow Tree Figurines, Hallmark ornaments, Harley-Davidson collectibles
- Furniture or outdoor things: tents, Outdoor Sports Equipment, basketball hoops etc.
3. Prioritize Which Ones to Buy First
Electronics tend to be the most expensive, and when they do go on sale on Black Friday, they will go the fastest, so you’ll want to grab these first before you go after the items in your other categories.
Toys is reportedly the second fastest category to sell out on Black Friday as sometimes the demand exceeds supply for the “hottest” toys.
It’s usually safe to get the other categories after Electronics and toys as they don’t sell out so quickly.
Clothes can be kind of hard to predict because if it's a popular item, it's going to sell out fast. So if you know a coat or pair of boots is in high demand, move that up on your list.
4. Record Advertised Deals
If you know of or hear of specific deals for your items prior to Black Friday, write down where and what, coupon codes etc., so you will have all of that information in one place. Our printable plan (above) can help you organize all of that.
To save time that day, be sure you have an account set up ahead of time, with your desired mailing and billing address and form of payment saved. Some sites will even let you have all the items in your cart ahead of time, so you just have to click check out and you're done!
5. Give While You Get
Don’t forget that many missionaries and bloggers will post their affiliate links to sales and hot items for Black Friday. Shopping through those links doesn’t cost you anything extra. You’re still buying the things you would have purchased anyway, but by making that one extra click from their sites, you are giving commissions that help support your friends’ families and ministries. It’s a great way to start of the holiday season: giving, while you get.