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BUSINESS Wednesday 6 november 2019
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Millennial Money: Secrets of a Black Friday Shopper

By COURTNEY JESPERSEN
Associated Press
My husband and I have a
Thanksgiving routine. Be-
fore the family arrives or
the turkey is carved, we
gather in the living room.
As Christmas music plays in
the background, he turns
on his laptop, and I mine.
That's when the deal hunt
begins.
Some people cringe at the
thought of shopping on
Thanksgiving or Black Fri-
day, but I revel in it.
Maybe it's because I love
a good bargain, or be-
cause I write about how to
save money. Whatever the In this Nov. 22, 2018, file photo people wait in line in front of an adjacent pet store for a Best Buy store to open for an early Black
reason, I know a lot about Friday sale on Thanksgiving Day in Overland Park, Kan.
Black Friday. And I'd like Associated Press
to share some secrets with prices on items you want. and Beats earphones. The hand, iPhone in the other adding the products you
you. You can snag savings same three types of prod- and laptop in front of me. want to your favorites list.
SHOPPING EARLY IS A RISK throughout November, ucts graced the ad again I placed online order after This will make the checkout
Technically, Black Friday is but despite early deals, in 2018. order, crossing gifts off my process smoother.
Nov. 29 this year. But as far retailers like Walmart, Tar- "Retailers pretty much run Christmas list. Years prior, I — DIVIDE AND CONQUER.
as the deals go, it's already get and Best Buy reserve the same things year after stood in a two-hour line at Select the best deals and
here. Retailers no lon- some of their best bargains year, so for good insight, Best Buy to purchase a sin- stick to those items. Burton
ger wait for the day after for Thanksgiving Day and go look at what Walmart gle TV. Lesson learned. says free shipping is stan-
Thanksgiving to start sales. Black Friday. So shopping did last year on Black Fri- For many, camping outside dard now. You should be
Black Friday isn't a day any- sales mid-November can day," Thomas says. "What a store on Black Friday is a able to place small orders
more. It's a season, accord- be risky. But in at least one did Target do? Did they run tradition, Burton points out. at each retailer without
ing to Jennifer Burton, assis- instance, it's smart to shop televisions? Was it Legos?" Thomas agrees. In Black needing to meet a ship-
tant professor of marketing ahead — if a seller an- Black Friday is a solid bet Friday research with co-au- ping minimum.
at the University of Tampa. nounces an early start to for deals on small electron- thor Cara Peters, she found — TRY, TRY AGAIN. Web-
"The season seems to get a deal from its Black Friday ics, apparel and Christmas that for some consumers, sites crash on Black Friday.
longer and longer every ad. Retailers like Amazon, decorations, Thomas adds. bonding and community Pages load slowly. Carts
year," Burton says. Best Buy and Kohl's have Another tip? I search my ar- are just as important as magically empty when
Retailers take the liberty to done this in the past. chived emails for the words the deals. But for the con- you're about to check out.
brand all sorts of promo- SHOPPING UNPREPARED "Black Friday." I can usually venience-minded, online If you encounter technical
tions during the year as CAN COST YOU find prior Black Friday pro- shopping is king. And prices difficulties, keep trying. Go
Black Friday sales. Don't you wish you knew motions that detail exactly are often the same as they to a retailer's website and
"Black Friday has become what was coming on Black what products the store are at the store. app simultaneously to see
synonymous with 'spe- Friday so you could fig- discounted, and at what If you decide to park your- which is faster.
cial sale,'" says Jane Boyd ure out when to shop and price. self on the couch, here are I know what I'll be doing on
Thomas, professor of mar- what to buy? SHOPPING IN-STORE IS A three proven strategies: Thanksgiving and Black Fri-
keting at Winthrop Univer- It's actually easy to guess. If MISTAKE — PRE-SHOP. Thomas rec- day this year. Do you?q
sity. While there's no best a store hasn't announced Last year I spent Thanks- ommends making an online
single day to buy every- its 2019 deals yet, look up giving morning on the account with your retailers
thing on your holiday shop- last year's Black Friday ad couch — coffee in one of choice beforehand and
ping list, experts agree big online. Retailers tend to not
savings happen through- get too creative from one
out the season from late year to another.
October through Cyber In 2017, the front of Tar-
Monday (the Monday af- get's Black Friday ad in-
ter Thanksgiving). So Burton cluded deals on a 55-inch
says it's important to track TV, Google Home Mini