We posted this last year, but the same rings true for this year!! Great tips to get you ready for Black Friday!
The Q-Tipping Mom is gearing up for Black Friday Deals!!! Just like last year, we will bring you all the Black Friday Ads & Deals as soon as they are available to us! The “Black Friday” Logo above will be posted on the website. All you will have to do is click on it to go to the Black Friday page for the newest updates!! I am excited!!! How about you!
Tips for Saving Money on Black Friday & having a Good Experience
(1) Prepare yourself for LARGE, ANGRY, TIRED CROWDS! This is a big one! If you have never shopped on Black Friday, you are in for an experience, LOL! There will BE CROWDS, there will be LONG LINES, and there WILL BE TIRED & ANGRY people out! Put yourself in a “Happy Place” and Smile & carry on!
(2) Plan ahead! Make a list of deals you want to grab. Don’t stray from your list.
(3) Make a Budget & STICK TO IT! It will completely defeat the purpose if you go crazy trying to snag every deal! Start saving now, if you haven’t already. Leave your credit cards at home! Take cash, when its gone.. your done:) If you just do not like to take cash, put your money on a gift card or prepaid credit card. My favorite card to shop Black Friday with is the Orange Card from ING! Sign up now and get $50 FREE!! Sign up HERE. If you take your credit card or debit card, you may still be playing catch-up in February for your impulse buys.
(4) Stick to 1 or 2 stores that suit most of your needs. I honestly believe this is the best tip! Check out the ad scans and make a plan. I am sure you will see fantastic deals in many of them, however it will be extremely tough to make it to every store. (unless you follow tip 5) Pick the stores that cover most of your needs and tackle only those stores. Truthfully, I only go to Wal-Mart on Black Friday. I don’t get into the mall deals and electronics store deals. My needs are best met at Wal-Mart or by price matching other stores deals at Wal-Mart. (Toys R Us, Kmart, Target, etc)
(5) Shop with friends. This is a very good idea, if you have several stores to hit. Get together with a group of friends and make a shopping plan. Split up the deals you want at different stores. I have friends that do this every year. A couple of them go to each store, grab the deals for everybody & then meet up for a late breakfast to hand out their deals.
(6) What if I want a big/hot ticket item? (iPods, TVs, Laptops, Barbie Jeeps, The hottest toy of the year, etc) If one of the hottest deals is on your list, be prepared…These are the deals with the longest lines and fewest available. Last year I got to Wal-Mart about 4:30pm on Thanksgiving to get in line for laptops & iPods. Sounds crazy, I know, but we didn’t have the money to buy these at regular price, so it was worth it! We were the first in line for both deals. The store I was at only had 25 of the laptops, with a limit of 2 per customer. They did not go on sale until 6 am…but they were sold out by 1 am!! Arrive EARLY to get in line! Shop with a “Runner”! When waiting in line for a hot deal, you will want a “Runner”. Last year, One of my daughters was in line for the iPods, I was in line for the Laptops, and my other daughter was the “Runner’. Having a “Runner” to take your spot in line, makes those bathroom breaks much easier. It also, gives you a chance to walk around a little to stretch your legs. Make sure & take cell phones with FULLY charged batteries!
(7) Take something to do…If you are in one of those lines…make sure and take something to pass the time. Magazines, Books, iPods will help. If you are somewhere that you can sit down, take your coupons and work on organizing, purging, clipping & more:) Take the newspaper! Pull up www.theqtippingmom.com on your cell phone and see what we are doing while waiting in line:) I will be posting all night…from about 5pm on Thanksgiving until we check out with our deals:) We will also be on facebook, so we can share all the fun!!
