Black Friday, the biggest shopping event of the year, is just around the corner. Shopping malls and retail stores will soon be filled with deal-thirsty consumers whose minds are set on one thing and one thing only - saving money. We know there are two kinds of Black Friday shoppers - those who are willing to camp out or wait in long lines and those who know the ultimate Black Friday secret.
The big secret that everyone should know by now lies right in the title of this article. Haven’t figured it out yet? Well, the real MVPs of Black Friday shopping are those who choose to shop online. These savvy shoppers have several advantages over the classic in-store shopper. We want you to be armed with all of the best Black Friday tips and tricks, so we’ve narrowed it down to 8 things that you may not have known about Black Friday online shopping.
This Black Friday, we're shopping at Amazon, Kohl's, Macy's, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and Toys R Us (among a ton of other great stores). We'll see you there!
8 Things You Didn’t Know About Black Friday Shopping Online
Save more when you shop online.
Saving money is what Black Friday is all about, right? Online shopping means you are less likely to overspend. It’s easy to see how much money you are set to spend before checking out. In store, you may end up waiting in a long checkout line just to find out that the coupon you have isn’t good for your purchase. Online shopping allows you to plug in your coupon codes and see just how much you are going save before you pay.
Moreover, just do a little research on BlackFriday.fm and DealsPlus.com to gather all of the online coupons and promo codes that you can find and read up on the details. Some stores like Kohl’s will allow you to stack up to 4 codes at a time, on top of Black Friday prices!
Shop Black Friday deals before Black Friday.
Most people will interrupt their holiday gatherings to make sure that they can get to the store in time for Black Friday deals. When you shop online, you don’t have to wait until Friday. Several Black Friday preview sales begin days before Thanksgiving, allowing online shoppers to snag discounts beforehand. In fact, these sales often last a full week long and some online stores even participate in Black November!
In-store deals sell out quickly.
Don’t stress over finding parking and waiting in line to get one of the very limited in-store doorbuster deals for which everyone waits. In-store deals sell out quickly, which is why we recommend searching for doorbuster deals that are available online. This way, you can cozy up on the couch with your favorite pajamas while you wait for deals to go live. For example, Groupon had a 12 days of Doorbusters until November 12th last year, which of course, was only available online. Check out our Groupon store page to save even more. Just be sure to log into the online store and have your credit card information ready!
Pro tip: Amazon offers a waitlist option for their “Lightning Deals.” If you see the “Join Waitlist” button appear, that means all available promotions have been snagged but not all purchases have been completed. So, you still have a chance to get one of the last few deals if someone decides to remove it from their shopping cart.
Online sales don’t have crazy hours.
Most online sales begin at midnight and stay live for all hours of the day. However, for in-store shopping, the rules tend to be a bit different. To accommodate the number of shoppers that come out for Black Friday, many stores enforce crazy hours over the sale days. Some stores only close for a few hours in the early morning, while some remain open for 24 hours or even 30 hours like Kohl's did last year. This means you’ll have to be there bright (or dark) and early, right when doors open to score the best deals. Shop online to avoid messing with your sleep schedule. Even if you choose to online shop overnight or in the wee hours of the morning, at least you can do it from the comfort of your own home.
Shop at multiple stores in no time.
Those of us who have a long holiday shopping list may need to visit several stores over Black Friday. Not everyone has the time or patience to spend their entire day in a mall or driving around town. When you shop online, it’s easy to shop at multiple stores in no time. It also saves you gas money! Many retailers offer free shipping options in time for the holidays, so be sure to take advantage of that as well!
Closed on Thanksgiving Day won’t mean a thing to online shoppers.
This year, we are seeing more and more stores announce that they will be closed on Thanksgiving. If one of the stores on your shopping list chooses to remain closed on Thanksgiving, you don’t have to worry when you shop online. Shop Black Friday online before dinner, after dessert, or during any time of the day on Thanksgiving! Click here to see 73 Stores that Refuse to Open on Thanksgiving.
Use store ads to compare prices.
One of the biggest advantages to online shoppers is having all of the Black Friday store ads at their fingertips. Browse through all of the available deals from competing stores and compare prices easily while you’re shopping. To find all of the ads above and more, visit BlackFriday.fm. This way, you’ll really find the best deal! If you choose to shop in-store, you can always keep your smartphone nearby and download the BlackFriday.fm 2017 app.
You don’t have to skip the thrill of in-store shopping.
Part of what makes Black Friday such a widely attended event is, in fact, the thrill of buzzing around stores and picking out great deals. If you don’t want to give that up just yet, it’s totally cool! Since most online Black Friday sales begin early, you can shop online all week and still have time to shop in-store on Black Friday.
With these tips, tricks, and secrets under your belt, you should be ready conquer the biggest sales event of the year. Gather your official Black Friday store ads, promo codes, and shopping lists A.S.A.P. with the help of BlackFriday.fm. Subscribe to email updates to get up-to-date news and info alerts straight to your inbox. Don't forget to download the Black Friday 2017 app for access to all of this information and more on your iOS or Android phone.
