Surviving Black Friday: Day After Thanksgiving Shopping

The day after Thanksgiving…While it brings images of cash registers overflowing with money to many shop owners, it evokes thoughts of angry mobs to others. How can you beat the mad rush and have a safe and happy day out shopping on Black Friday?

Thanksgiving morning's newspaper is ten times heavier than normal. Why? The store fliers outnumber actual news articles leading to incredible bulk. It is an excellent idea to take those fliers and peruse them after a filling Thanksgiving meal to see what type of shopping you can plan on the following day. Look through the sale advertisements, not once, but a few times and make your list of must-buy items. Many stores carry a limited amount of special sale items. A prime example of this came last year when many stores were handed no more than fifty Xbox 360s while knowing thousands would converge on them to try to get at least one unit. Chaos followed. People bought up as many as possible and then turned around and sold them on eBay for three or four times what they paid.

To survive Black Friday, look for stores that use a numbering system. As people walk in the door, they are handed a number. The limited quantity items are given on a first-come, first-serve basis. This seems like a fair method. People get into lines hours before a store opens on Black Friday for a reason. If you are not willing to get up early, you have to expect that the real deals will be sold out far in advance to your arrival.

Fighting is another risk factor to Black Friday. For whatever reason, people seem to lose all sense of right versus wrong on this day. Shopping casualties skyrocket on Black Friday from crowds pushing and shoving, to actual fist fights over that last high-demand toy. Think Tickle-Me-Elmo dolls a decade ago when people were willing to seriously injure those lucky enough to get their hands on one. For this reason, it is smart to not shop alone. Go in a group for safety sake and to cut down on the amount of cars looking for parking spots. Keep a cell phone handy to call authorities in case of an emergency or parking lot fender bender.

Carry different sales fliers. Many stores have unpublicized policies that if you find an item at a competitor's store for a lower price, the store will match or even beat the lower price. This can save you a bundle! It never hurts to ask, as the worst that will happen is they say no that is not their store policy.

Additionally, avoid the larger retail stores. People flock to the chain stores on Black Friday to get the best deal. Sometimes shopping in smaller, local stores will cost only cents more and what you save in irritation becomes worth it. Time spent not dealing with an irritated crowd can be a blessing in disguise, even if you do end up paying a few dollars extra.

If the crowds are getting the best of you, stop and take a break. Visit a local coffee shop for a cup of tea or coffee and take the pressure off for at least half an hour. The break from the maddening crowds should be enough to soothe your frazzled nerves. You can also ease tension by going into new age type stores. The calming music, incense, and peaceful interior will help reduce stress. Who knows, you may even find a present that suits someone on your shopping list.

Finally, sometimes it's better to bypass stores altogether and shop online. With the advent of the debit card, you can purchase from any online store without the need for a credit card. Many online retailers will drop shipping rates and offer tremendous discounts for Christmas shopping. You'll save time, gas, and hassle.