Prepping for Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals
How to Prep for Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals
The busiest shopping days with the best deals are coming up soon and do you have a game plan set in place? Do you know what deals you are looking for? Once Black Friday and Cyber Monday start it can be very overwhelming to find the deals you want to invest in. Here are 8 suggestions on what you can do so that you will be prepared for all the sales.
1. Look to Past Years’ Sales for Guidance
Retailers don’t always recycle their Cyber Monday and Black Friday from year to year but if you check out the prior year’s flyers you will be able to get an idea of the sales. Categories that you can expect hot sales in are electronics, clothing, apparel, fashion accessories and cosmetics. The best way to find the flyers from last year is to do a quick Google search of the retailer’s name and the key words of “Black Friday” or “Cyber Monday”.
2. Bookmark Your Favorite Retailers’ Websites
Make sure to bookmark each useful retail website as you go so that you can flip back and forth from site to site. If you’re shopping for multiple people, you’ll probably accumulate a pretty long list of options. Create a separate Cyber Monday or “online shopping” folder to sequester your retailer bookmarks.
3. Follow Your Favorite Retailers on Social Media
The best way to stay up-to-date on late-breaking retail promotions at any time of year is to follow your favorite retailers on social media! (Follow us at @novadabjewels) This strategy is especially fruitful during the holiday shopping season when clearance sales are common.
4. Sign Up for Retail Newsletters
If you know you are searching for deals this season but not sure what particular items you are looking for then taking the five seconds to sign up for an email newsletter is a great option to peruse all your options. As Cyber Monday approaches, your newsletters will begin touting this year’s top deals. Some newsletters include or link to actual Cyber Monday flyers, so they’re a good centralized planning resource.
5. Make Your Holiday Gift List as Early as Possible
Build your list of everyone you need to purchase gifts for ASAP! Then next to everyone’s name write down your ideas of what to get there. Also make sure you have alternatives in place for popular products. If the exact item you want is out of stock or beyond your price range, you’ll want to have a Plan B. Same for retailers: You’ll want to know which retailers sell which products, so that you can easily switch if it’s out of stock at your preferred vendor.
6. Research Return Policies and Fees
Before you buy, look into retailers’ return policies and fees. Most clearly state their return policies on their websites, but it’s worth calling customer support if there’s any confusion at all. Return shipping charges and restocking fees really eat into refunds or store credits, leaving less left over to rectify the mistake and fund the rest of your holiday shopping.
7. Set a Firm Budget
The first rule of Cyber Monday shopping is simple: stick to your budget. Whatever you decide you can spend, keep your actual holiday shopping budget on the conservative side. Try as you might, there’s a good chance you’ll overshoot your projected spending. That hurts less when you have room to spare in your budget.
8. Rise Early or Stay Up Late the Night Before
Most retailers run Cyber Monday sales for at least 24 hours. Many begin them before Cyber Monday itself, or fold them into longer “cyber weeks” or Black Friday weekend sales. If you’re shopping for common products for which demand is measured, you probably don’t have to get up at (or stay up until) 1 am to snag the best deals. However, if you’re worried about items running out of stock – a common problem on the weekend after Thanksgiving – then you’ll want to shop as early as practically possible.
