Yahoo Finance Your Black Friday and Cyber Monday Survival Guide
Black Friday and Cyber Monday can be overwhelming and chaotic, forcing even the savviest shoppers to make rash decisions, purchase impulsively and overpay. Here are the steps you need to keep calm, stay on budget and get the best deals on all your holiday gifts.
Get organized. Having a well-organized gift list, including gift ideas and a budget for recipients, can keep you on task in the busy days ahead. Use the Memo function on your phone or apps such as Evernote or Gifted, so that you'll have your list with you at all times.
[See: 9 Ways to Save When Holiday Shopping With Credit Cards.]
Arm yourself with apps. For shopping in stores on Black Friday, a couple of choice smartphone apps will arm you with sale info and help you save even more along the way. The Goodshop App for iOS and Android is a coupon app with a dedicated Black Friday page loaded with deals. Many of the featured deals also have a charitable component where a portion of your purchase can be donated to a charity or school of your choice.
A price comparison app is also a helpful tool. Use the Shopsavvy App for iOS and Android to scan the barcode of an item you are considering buying. The app will provide prices from several retailers, so you'll know whether the best price is elsewhere.
Use online services. For online shopping, there are services that can function as your first line of defense against overpaying. Earny, which you link to your email, will seek out refunds in the event of any price drops within 90 days of your purchase. Earny takes a small cut, but it does all the work, and you get money back. There's also CouponCabin Sidekick, a browser plugin for Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari. It will notify you of available cash-back offers and coupons while you shop online. Just click on an offer you like and shop as you normally would.
[See: 10 Money-Saving Websites to Check Before Shopping.]
Compare prices. Just because something is on sale, don't assume you've found the best price. Before checking out an item in the store or online, do a quick internet search to check competitors' prices. Use a price comparison site, such as PriceGrabber, or search for the item on Google or Bing.
Leave the kids at home. You may have visions of roaming the toy aisles with your kids to see what they are interested in, but don't do it on Black Friday. They will slow you down. On the other hand, if you have teens who can help you, bring them along, so you can put them to work.
Divide and conquer. Black Friday discounts will be deep, and the crowds will be huge, so consider bringing a friend if you're hoping to score a few doorbuster deals. One of you can nab the headphones that are 60 percent off, and the other can grab a few armfuls of deep-discount video game bundles. You can also keep an eye on each other's carts and share the smartphone research duties of comparing prices and reading product reviews. When you're done, put your loot in the car, mop your brows and have a relaxing lunch.
[See: 12 Habits of Phenomenally Frugal Families.]
Focus. Unless you only have a few people on your list, don't expect to do all your holiday shopping on these two hectic shopping days. Instead, focus on the categories that are the most deeply discounted now and do the rest of your shopping in a few weeks.
For example, look for these items on Black Friday and Cyber Monday:
-- Fall clothing. Deals on fall clothing will be plentiful, online and in stores. You'll likely find deals for specific items or categories. On Cyber Monday, the deals will be broader, and there will be no shortage of free shipping offers. Winter apparel deals will be slim. It's best to wait until December or even January for those.
-- Small devices and small appliances. Is someone on your list asking for small tech items such as earbuds, Bluetooth speakers or a camera? You'll find generous discounts on these items, as well as countertop items such as food processors, slow cookers and espresso machines.
-- TVs and electronics. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are known for "doorbuster" deals on TVs, laptops, gaming consoles and other electronics. Some of these items may be from brands that you are not familiar with, so rather than jumping at a deal that seems too good to be true, take the time to read professional and consumer reviews on your smartphone before dashing to check out.
-- Toys. Discounts on toys aren't necessarily better around this time, but if a toy on your list is on sale, you might want to get it now to avoid a sellout later.
Wait. Not everything is a good buy on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. In general, holiday decor and winter apparel will go on sale in December. In January, it'll be linens, large furniture and fitness and wellness items. Just before Valentine's Day, look out for deals on jewelry.
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