Millions of Americans are preparing to celebrate the first of many holiday gatherings with loved ones as Thanksgiving swiftly approaches. Turkey isn’t the only thing they’re thinking about this time of year, however: Many consumers also have their thoughts set on the sales events that dominate the season.
Shopping over Thanksgiving weekend is expected to be busier than ever as an estimated 69 percent of Americans — around 164 million people — are planning to take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, according to the holiday consumer survey from the National Retail Federation. Although Black Friday has historically been busy for in-store sales, it appears that more people will be tackling gift lists online this year.
[Read: What Will Cost More — and Less — in 2018.]
In fact, online spending is expected to exceed in-store spending for the first time ever, according to the 2017 holiday retail survey by Deloitte. Fifty-five percent of respondents plan to shop online for gifts, compared with only 44 percent who said they will head to a mass merchant. Considering that similar product deals found in stores are also available online these days, it’s no surprise that more people prefer to shop from the comfort of home.
“Speed, price comparison and selection are all advantages to shopping online,” says Michelle Madhok, online shopping expert and founder of deals site SheFinds.com. “Who wants to spend the holiday season in line or circling the parking lot looking for a spot?”
It’s easy to get lost in the clutter of deals when shopping online during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but a well-thought-out shopping strategy can help shoppers find the best savings on items they want to buy. Follow these step-by-step tips to quickly and easily bag the best bargains over Thanksgiving weekend.
Map out an online shopping plan. Most stores release circulars in advance of the sales event, giving shoppers plenty of time to study the offers and decide where they want to shop. Keep in mind, however, that some special buys may be limited to in-store purchases, so it’s important to read the fine print. Products and promotions specifically marked “in-store only” will be unavailable to online shoppers, but these items are often limited in quantity anyway.
“If the product you’re interested in is not on the first two pages, you can typically get the product from their website and save yourself the hassle of fighting the crowd,” says Kyle James, founder and owner of Rather-Be-Shopping.com.
James recommends reviewing sites like DealNews.com for a roundup of top Black Friday ads and discounts across multiple product categories for help identifying the best sites to shop.
Never settle for the sale price. As retailers advertise prices at all-time lows during these popular sale events, shoppers are easily convinced that coupons and other discounts won’t apply. However, many online stores will offer extra incentives through promo codes and free shipping offers. Madhok suggests opting in to receive e-newsletters from favorite online stores or following them on Twitter and Facebook to find such discounts.
Otherwise, running a quick Google search with the store name and term “coupons” may uncover available offers, James says. He also recommends searching sites like RetailMeNot.com or CouponSherpa.com for coupons directly. What’s more, many online sites offer live customer support through instant chat, and asking nicely could result in bonus savings. “Many chat operators are given coupon codes to hand out if asked, especially on big shopping events,” James says.
[See: Prepare Your Finances for the Holidays.]
Read product reviews in advance. A low price on a lousy product is never a good deal, so read reviews of products ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday to save time on the day of the sales event.
“Read reviews before you buy,” Madhok says. “Amazon.com consistently has the most helpful reviews. You can quickly see the best and worst reviews of a product to help you make an informed decision.”
Know how to compare prices quickly. While some retailers inflate original prices during the holidays to make a discount look like a better value, others set prices to fluctuate multiple times a day to maximize profits. Comparing prices becomes critical in finding the best current offer during Thanksgiving weekend sales events.
Tracie Forbes, owner of PennyPinchinMom.com, suggests downloading the Wikibuy browser extension, a shopping tool that provides instant price notifications when a product is available for less at another site. Otherwise, setting price alerts allows shoppers to stay on top of these changing prices and potentially request money back through a price adjustment.
“Paribus watches for these [price changes], and if it happens, they file the paperwork for you on your behalf to get the money back,” Forbes says.
Purchase discount gift cards. A savvy way to increase savings on Black Friday and Cyber Monday is to use discount gift cards as currency. These cards are purchased at less than face value with discounts between 1 percent to over 20 percent, depending on the retailer. Madhok recommends searching for discount gift cards at sites such as Giftcardgranny.com or Raise.
While discount gift cards can enhance the deal you receive, it’s important to order cards in time to spend them during the holiday shopping weekend. Always review the policies of the gift card reseller before purchasing. Also, only order cards from resellers that offer money-back guarantees in case a card doesn’t contain the exact balance in the original description.
Prepare to pounce. Online activity over Black Friday and Cyber Monday will be at an all-time high, and many sites could experience a slow response time that can delay the checkout process and result in missed deals. Consumers may be tempted to load their carts with products they want to buy in advance of the sale to speed up the purchase, but experts say this strategy could sabotage potential savings.
“It is the way the online stores allow everyone a fair chance [to shop deals], so people can’t add everything to their cart and then hit checkout … which may result in items selling out too quickly,” Forbes says.
Instead, shoppers should prepare by opening product pages of desired items ahead of the sale. When the site officially launches its Black Friday event, refresh the page until the discounted price updates and pounce on the purchase quickly. Saving payment information is another way to speed up the checkout process.
Understand shipping charges. Most retailers will offer free shipping during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but some may require a minimum order of $25, $50 or up to $150 to qualify for this perk. Paying more to avoid delivery charges is not ideal, so it’s important to understand the terms and look for a site that doesn’t set a threshold.
“Review the site before Black Friday and learn what shipping charges they offer as well as how to handle returns,” Forbes says. “If you have to pay for both shipping and returns, you may want to look elsewhere as those [charges] can quickly add up.”
Many stores offer free in-store returns for online orders, so seek this information before shopping with a retailer. “It’s always smart to shop online at retailers who have brick-and-mortar locations in your area so you can take advantage of quick and free in-store returns,” James says.
[See: 10 Money-Saving Websites to Check Before Shopping.]
Shop safe. As the holiday shopping season heats up, consumers become more susceptible to scams and fraud. Staying vigilant by checking bank and credit cards regularly is important to spot fraudulent charges, but preventing hackers from snagging personal information in the first place is the best defense. Do this by shopping on password-protected networks, ensure the sites you use are securely encrypted at checkout with a lock icon, and only shop with trusted retailers, warns Forbes. Above all, don’t click on links that look fishy. “If a deal looks too good to be true, trust your gut instinct and stay away,” James says.
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Shopping Strategies to Score Bigger Bargains on Black Friday and Cyber Monday originally appeared on usnews.com
