Black Friday Survival Guide
It’s almost here … Black Friday. As much as we love this day of deals, it’s also a day of crowds, lines and general craziness. If you want to get the most out of your day, you have to shop like a Black Friday ninja. Here are our best tips for surviving the festivities and making it out with the best deals possible!
1. Sign up for emails now
If you’re planning on shopping at specific stores for Black Friday, go ahead and sign up for their email lists so you don’t miss out on any special coupons or sale information. For example, if you’re signed up for Unclaimed Baggage’s email list (or reading this blog, you overachiever you), you’d be the first to know that on Black Friday, we’re serving up half-price hot Starbucks drinks from 7-10 a.m. in Cups Cafe. Boom. You’ve already scored a deal.
2. Have a plan
This is not a day to fly by the seat of your pants when it comes to where you’re going and what you’re looking for! If you want to hit all of the stores, be sure to decide which deals are most important to you and schedule your day accordingly. Map your way to each store ahead of time and be sure to account for all of the extra Black Friday traffic.
3. Use the buddy system
Unless you know something we don’t, it’s impossible to be in two places at once. So if you want two different doorbuster deals in two different parts of the store, sometimes it’s good to bring a buddy to help you divide and conquer!
4. Have a backup plan
When you create your Christmas shopping list based on store deals, sometimes it can be disappointing when you can’t find that specific item you need. Try to have a second item already picked just in case your first choice doesn’t work out.
5. Get there early
The early bird really does get the worm on Black Friday. If you are looking to score things like Bose and Dr. Dre Beats headphones at 25% off, you’ll want to be the first in line at 7 a.m. when the doors open here at Unclaimed Baggage! This goes for any other amazing deals you’re planning to get. If you want it, chances are there are a lot of other people who do, too. So be sure you beat them there!
6. Use shopping baskets or bags instead of a cart
This is a Black Friday pro tip if there ever was one. There is nothing worse than trying to wheel a cart through a mob of people also trying to wheel carts through a mob of people. Slip right past the crowd by avoiding the cart entirely. If there’s a larger item on your shopping list, we recommend you follow our buddy system advice and try to find one with some muscle.
7. Make conversation with the people in line
If you’re waiting to check out and don’t have anything better to do anyway, why not drum up some conversation with the people around you? Not only is it fun to just to get to know people, they might also tip you off to gift ideas or deals you might have missed. Besides, it never hurts to make a quick friend who will save your spot in line if you have to dash and get something you forgot!