The crowds, the traffic, the weather, the predawn waiting in line to be among the first in the store for the early specials—it all has the potential to be quite miserable, yet there’s a certain exhilaration to it when it’s a part of the frenzied bargain hunting of Black Friday.
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, the informal kickoff to the Christmas shopping, the day when retailers offer some of their best sales and discounts of the entire year.
You can find out about Black Friday promotions through mass mailings, newspaper ads, and the websites of the stores themselves, as well as through third party websites that conveniently post specials from all different stores in one place.
New Black Friday promotions are constantly announced throughout November until the big day itself. If you want to be sure to get all the updates without having to constantly return to all the websites, many sites give you the option of registering your e-mail. They then send you notices by e-mail whenever another discount is posted.
Among the top deals announced thus far are:
1. Ace Hardware: 50% off any one item under $30.
2. Dell: Western Digital 500GB My Passport Essential Portable Hard Drive USB 2.0 Midnight Black, with coupon code DFR?GH$$F84135: $59.99.
3. Express: 40% off everything, in-store or online.
4. Gander Mountain: 40% off all men’s and women’s sleepwear.
5. Kohl’s: $10 in “Kohl’s Cash” to use toward future purchases for every $50 spent.
6. Kohl’s: 60% off Mudd clothing tops and bottoms for girls ages 7-16.
7. Macy’s: 50% off designer dress shirts from Kenneth Cole, Tommy Hilfiger, and Donald Trump Signature collection.
8. Macy’s: 50% off Lenox and Spode kitchenware.
9. Sears: 50%-60% off outerware.
10. Sears: Sony 5.1 Channel 850-Watt WiFi-Ready 3D Blu-ray Home Theatre System: $299.99.
You can read more about these and thousands of other Black Friday deals at sites such as Bfads, Black Friday.com, and Black Friday.org. Be sure to look at all the details, including the precise dates and times the discounts are available.
For some Black Friday specials you will have to go to the store in person, but some are also good for online purchases, which can save you a lot of bother and stress.
Be careful not to overdo it on Black Friday. Sometimes people get so caught up in all the bargains they find that they end up spending far more than they’d intended. There are a lot of good deals out there; realistically you’re going to have to pass most of them up. Work with a shopping list and a budget.