Black Friday Strategies: How do you plan?

[nhughes]

So its inching closer to that time of the year...Is everyone excited?!

 

Just curious to see how you all plan this day. For me, I check this website often and use an Excel sheet to carefully plan which stores have the best deals. Typically, whatever store has my favorite item will be my first stop. I have a feeling this year will be different with the hours. We've already seen some stores announce they will NOT open on Turkey Day, but mostly smaller stores.  We also have to think some stores throughout the year have closed down (Sears, Kmart, etc.) Will that have an impact? 

 

So, do you plan it out last minute or carefully plan throughout the year? 

 

 

[Elmck]

Online shopping has really changed the way I shop the brick and mortar stores now. I make my list of wants and needs using the information here on GottaDeal. I try to get most of the items I want as early as I can online. What I can't get there I will try to find in the brick and mortar stores. 

[angelbabymommy]

I usually start planning when I start to see the ads on here. Last year the majority of my shopping was done online so there was no need for me to go out early on BF, instead I would go around 11 am and that’s just because it BF and I HAVE to go out lol I think it’ll be pretty much the same this year, especially with all the changes over the year...Black Friday turning into Black Monday thru Friday.

[jesusluvu]

I start as the ads come out and then go from thee. If it is a lot of stuff me and my brother will split the list and shop for each other at different stores. I usually rank what is a Must and a Want. The must I go after first and search for the wants second. I shop online early thanksgiving morning and see what I can get to lessen my haul, this year it will be key because I no longer have my SUV. 

[tyreejames]

Black Friday shopping has turned into the week of shopping for me. It generally starts that Sunday/Monday with Kohl’s and Best Buy’s early access. I shop at least 90% online now. As the ads come in and I compare to my kids lists, I decide what can be purchased prior and what I should wait for that week.

 

Last year, I only ventured out Friday morning for a new tree at Home Depot and a dog bed at Pet Smart. That’s the extent of my strategizing; I don’t have a shopping buddy so the more I am able to order online the easier it is.

[berry1014]

I wait for the ads to come out to see what's on sale first. At least half of the stuff we get on BF is movies and video games.

[bribri25]

I add everything to the shopping list here when the ad comes out and I might be interested in it. This usually ends in duplicate items, but I'll compare those prices, opening times, and what else I need at that store before deciding where I'll get it. I also end up weeding out some unnecessary items as I re-think what I actually "need" to buy.

[bluebear]

Yep, I love the shopping lists too. And duplicates is good, if one store is out or something else weird, you can easily see the backup plan.

[angelicswtnss]

I use the shopping list here then narrow it down the day before I start shopping.

 

Sent from my SM-N920T using GottaDEAL mobile app

[catholicbride11]

I still handwrite my lists and par then down as time gets closer. I shop online all week then go out in person. I probably could get away with not leaving my house but I still enjoy going out and shopping.

[budgetsRsexy]

I am a planner by nature. I find I get more stressed if I go in without some semblance of a plan. This year I have had to ramp up my organization and planning skills for fear of my job getting to busy that I would find myself running short on preparation time but so far things have been manageable. I having a binder system I'm trying out this year to keep track of everything. I have never used the shopping list on here but I will have to give it a try.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using GottaDEAL

[len_mullen]

I start with a gift list -- who I am shopping for and what I plan to spend.  I create a list of gift ideas (I'm doing that now) and read reviews to figure out what models are suitable.  Then I scour the deal sites for best ever and best recent prices for those items and set up watches for each.  When a good price pops up, I buy.  I am happy to price match, return/rebuy, or whatever other games the retailers play.  Finally, as the holiday approaches (and once it passes), I shop for bargains not on my list.  My oldest has a birthday in February, so extra gifts tend to go to him.

[connieh]

I have a general idea for what I am looking for, scour the ads as they come online hear at gottadeal, make a note of store opening hours along with items wanted and plan a strategy for the morning.....

 

It doesn't always work out but it helps

[HanShotFirst]

I don't really have a strategy.  If I haven't already purchased family gifts then I scour the ads for ideas.  Beyond that, the majority of my Black Friday purchases are for myself and/or the house.  I enjoy looking through the ads for things I might want and/or need or those things you see that you never knew you needed until you see the ads.  

 

Once I find things I want/need, I make a list of the stores, the items and the times the online sales start.  Walmart gets a separate written list on its own since that is usually the bulk of my shopping.  Most other things I have been able to get online the last several years.  

[tracy0504]

I start with a written list for each person I'm shopping for; items I would like them to have as well as their wants...if I buy things on the list pre BF I check it off my list...I look at my written list @ least 3 times a day (a little OCD)...once the ads come out I usually add more things to my list...the day before my shopping experience I figure out how much cash I have on hand and how much is left from my holiday/checking account...I go over my list again and decide if there are some things I really don't need or want and cross those off...and this still may not be the final cut depending on seeing items in store that I didn't know I needed or wanted...lol...I also use an app on my phone for my gift list as well and it adds up the amounts I want to spend on each gift/person and gives me a total so I'll know how much I need to try and save...

 

Sent from my SM-G930V using GottaDEAL mobile app

Edited October 23, 2017 by tracy0504

[ilikefree]

I still go through the paper ads and make lists. The store with the most "must-have" items is the one we go to first. Last year was the first year I ever ordered anything online on BF and I did that because it was something hubby really wanted (and he's super hard to buy for) and we didn't have the store near us. There is never anything we really HAVE to have, but it sure did take the stress out of the "will I get it or will they sell out before I get there?" moments.

[MariahA]

I use the ads posted here first for the sake of planning but there's just something about the real, hard copy, paper ads that make me so happy. I'll shift thru paper ads and mark everything I plan on looking at. Have a paper list sorted by store, price, amount, etc, wrote out from the leaked ads. And I use the shopping list here. Just figured out how to use that last year so it'll probably be used more this year.

I'm also trying to save gift cards this year to use for online shopping, will see how that goes. I've never shopped online for BF so that's a new layer to add to my planning.

[BF-aholic]

I use the shopping list here then narrow it down the day before I start shopping.

 

Sent from my SM-N920T using GottaDEAL mobile app

How/where do I find the My Black Friday Shopping List?

[bluebear]

On the main black Friday site, all the way at the bottom under Black Friday, it says My Shopping List.

 

There may be another way to get there, so anyone else feel free to share!

[BF-aholic]

When I click on My Shopping List, it says I have to log into the Forum first. I’m logged in here. Now what?

[Love4Fashion]

I have my wish lists for everyone I’m shopping for and how much I want/plan to spend. If I already have picked up an item I cross that off my list just to keep me organized. I wait for the ads to come out to see if there is anything from my lists on there. I plan to get those must have items online if available and hit the stores for the other items. I am an impulse shopper lol especially during Black Friday so I try to stick to my lists. Last year I created a Black Friday list on Kohl’s after the ad came out, and that made my online shopping so much easier. I think I will look into using the shopping list on here because this is my primary source for Black Friday info.

[ogadoga]

I start by making a list of what I need and want.  When the ads come out I look to see who has what I'm after on sale.  After that, I add them to my shopping list on here.  Then I will sort through everything to make sure I have enough in the budget for it.

[Giraffe34]

I make a list and try my best to stick to that list, but I always wind up throwing in odds and ends into the mix as well.  I make my list as soon as the ads start showing up.  I then make a list for each potential store that I want to go to.  I have to pick a "main" store-where I will do the majority of my shopping.  I moved to California this year from Tennessee, so I don't know this area and what the crowds are like here. I think I have decided that Kohl's will be my main store this year because it seems like it will be calmer than going to Walmart here.  Every year, Walmart has been my main store to to go, so I feel somewhat sad I have to change my game plan this year.  The Kohl's cash is a good motivator though.