Shopping on Black Friday 2020 Like an Expert
If you’re like most people, you spend several hundred to a couple of thousand dollars every year buying gifts for the people on your list. The holidays are the best time to snap up great gifts, but you want to be careful not to overspend and wreck your budget.
Even on Black Friday you still need to bargain hunt to be sure that you’re getting the best deals. Whether you’re shopping in person or shopping online, you still need to plan and have the willpower to stick to your plan.
There are many tactics you can employ to shop like an expert. Don’t be a one and done person. If you choose one store or one website and you buy everything there, you could miss out on better savings at other stores or websites.
That same $700 laptop that you want might be $500 somewhere else. You need to check across multiple sites and visit multiple stores that will be open for the sale. Don’t let yourself fall for any pressure sales tactics.
If you don’t need something or can’t think of someone who might want it as a gift, leave that item where it’s at no matter what kind of a great deal it is. Understand that this year, retailers are rolling out the equivalent to the red carpet of shopping events.
That’s because the end of the year is approaching, and businesses need to make sure they turn a profit. So these stores are going to promote big sale items and offer discounts and other perks for shoppers.
If you see something you want and the sale price isn’t that much of a bargain, ask someone in charge or email the business and ask what kind of further discount you can get, if any.
If free shipping isn’t being offered, ask for that. Don’t buy an item if you haven’t done your advanced check. Sometimes what looks like the deal of a lifetime turns out not to be.
This usually happens when stores put items up for sale that aren’t the same quality as similar items. For example, when all the expensive 4K televisions go on sale, people snatch them up.
Stores usually put similar televisions on sale too, but ones that don’t have the same high level of quality. Don’t get so caught up in the shopping frenzy that you’ll settle for less.
If a store runs out of an item, ask for a rain check. You might not get it, but it won’t hurt to ask. Pre-order hot items if you can. If it’s something that’s in demand, this is a better way to make sure you get it before it releases.
Sometimes manufacturers offer customer discounts over and above what the site offers. You can enter a code or coupon and get the price knocked down even more. One shopping tip that experts use is to load your shopping cart, but don’t check out. Retailers will think you’ve changed your mind and try to entice you to return and finish the transaction by offering you more, such as free shipping or more savings.
Small Business Saturday Changes
The day for shoppers to celebrate buying from small businesses takes place on Small Business Saturday. The event of This sale has been around for about a decade and takes place every year right after Black Friday.
The purpose of this day is to help bring the crowds into small businesses, especially those which are often overshadowed by the holiday sales offered through retail giants. Since its inception, this Saturday shopping event has seen large crowds gathering in order to find deals at their local shops.
This year, the number of people shopping for deals on this sales day is going to grow. More people than last year will be shopping at their local stores for Small Business Saturday.
However, there have been some changes in how the shopping is being done this year due to the widespread effect of Covid. These changes will see some small businesses that may not have previously offered curbside pickup now doing so.
Most of these businesses now have an online presence where shoppers can find what they want to purchase and either pick it up curbside or have it shipped to their home. This way, they can get great deals without ever having to enter the store.
These changes will still allow shoppers to continue to support local buying from smaller businesses, yet adhere to social distancing and safety guidelines. Just like the bigger retail stores, these small businesses will be advertising their sales.
There may be group marketing efforts done among businesses that are similar. Some stores may have a specific theme or target items for sale that are alike, such as all sports gear, or beauty supplies.
Small Business Saturday may also notify shoppers by mailing out postcards or by having posters in the front windows of the shop advertising the sales. Many of these businesses will link to their shops using their social media platforms and will share special deals, coupon offers, and more.
Some of these stores may create specific group targets on social media using themes, hashtags or special GIFs. For small businesses that are in the food industry, instead of offering goods, they may offer free items from the menu, a kids-eat-free offer, or BOGO deals.
Other stores will be taking advantage of online marketing strategies using popular social media platforms. Many of these platforms allow for consumer-targeted ads as well as allowing a place where local businesses can connect with both loyal and potential customers.
Some of the ways these businesses may advertise will include gift items offered by the store for customers to have a chance to win. If you have a favorite local business, you’ll want to go to their website to sign up for their newsletter or get on their mailing list so that you don’t miss out on any of the holiday deals that will be offered. Make sure you call, too, since some won’t have a website to notify customers from.
Expect Big Sales on Black Friday
The most anticipated shopping day of the year has always been Black Friday. The deals throughout the stores, as well as doorbusters, are a way for shoppers to get nice stuff for often a fraction of the original price.
Many people save for months to be able to afford to get all their Christmas shopping done on this day. But in 2020, a lot of people have begun to wonder if the event of this sale is going to be banned because of the virus.
It’s an understandable fear. It’s not safe for stores to throw open the doors and pack the people in there. Shoppers need to stay at a distance in order for people to have the best chance at not catching Covid.
However, there’s really no good way to make sure stores won’t be overcrowded for in-person shopping. Mainly because when the doors open, there are always throngs of bargain hunters who will rush forward in an attempt to score the stuff they want.
Because of this, most stores have abandoned the idea of having retailers come to them for the Black Friday sale. Instead, they’re opting to do the event mostly online. Like most people, stores have taken a direct hit due to the virus.
The year 2020 has seen many department stores and smaller businesses have plummeting revenues. People have been staying at home, which means sales have been dismal.
Anything that wasn’t essential to survival has remained on the shelves and stores have been unable to make the same kind of profits they saw in the years prior to 2020. As a result, many stores have limited hours and have laid-off workers.
Businesses are feeling that pinch and the loss of sales due to minimal shopping has taken a toll on profits. As a result of that, retailers are counting on Black Friday to help them recoup the loss of profit and bring them back to the business prior to the pandemic.
With that in mind, stores are going to stage some of the biggest sales shoppers have ever seen. There will be huge discounts in every category that you want to shop in. From furniture to clothing to jewelry and more, you’ll be able to shop for usually high priced items at bargain rates.
Because the stores are hoping to end the year in a good place financially, these sale items will be marked down longer than they normally have been for prior sales events. By leaving the items on sale a little longer, stores are hoping that more shoppers will have the opportunity to buy and help boost their profits.
Walmart’s Best Black Friday Deals
Life has taken a strange turn, thanks to Covid and a lot of things are different. But the year marches on and it’s almost time for the biggest savings of the year with the impending arrival of Black Friday.
You’ll be able to find huge sales in dozens of categories on the items that you want. Though there haven’t been any formal announcements concerning what the retail giant is going to offer for consumers yet, you can bet that history will repeat itself.
Walmart always highlights sales with certain items year after year and 2020 won’t change that. Of course, you may not be able to actually shop in the store for the sales event the same way that you were able to in years past, but that doesn’t mean that savings can’t be yours.
You can shop in person with safety protocols observed. Or, instead of having to deal with crowds and the potential health risk of being packed into a store, you can do your Black Friday shopping online.
Most people started gearing up for their shopping on Thanksgiving Day. After sharing a meal with family and friends, they’d head out to Walmart to get an early start on Christmas shopping and often get a sneak peek at what the store was setting up for the Friday sales.
Many years, Walmart would have some early deals available that shoppers could go ahead and buy. But this year, to show appreciation for their employees, the store has decided to close on Thanksgiving.
So no one will be able to get that in-person sneak peek or have access to early deals. The store does plan to open again on the Friday after Thanksgiving. The sales event will be ongoing for both days online.
You’ll want to pay attention and look for the potential deals that may be coming because consumers might not get a lot of warning for what will be on sale. When ordering online, the store plans to rival other online shopping businesses by doing things such as offering free shipping.
Walmart has unveiled their answer to Amazon which is called Walmart Plus. To know what you can expect to find under Walmart’s best Black Friday deals, look for the latest in laptops, iPads, and desktop computers.
You’ll also be able to find computer-related gaming accessories like gaming keyboards and headphones. Gaming consoles like the Xbox will also be on sale. Televisions will be on sale again this year, specifically the 4K models.
Also, brand names in technology such as Apple products will be offered at discount prices. There will be sales on jewelry and women’s fashion as well as home décor. Kitchen gadgets will be on sale, too. If you plan to shop for kids on Black Friday, be sure to scoop up the hottest deals on the popular toys and games.