Canada has fully embraced Black Friday and Cyber Monday, both days marked by incredible retail sales. For many Canadians, this long weekend of savings has marked the start (and end) of all Christmas shopping. Many retailers boast incredible sales, free shipping and one-day-only savings events. Want to take advantage of this year's great deals? Here are some tips:
1). Make a list & check it twice: What are you hoping to get during this weekends deals? Make a list and check it twice. Consider everything: gifts, work clothes, food, home goods, etc.. Literally everything will be on sale somewhere. Having a list will help you stay focused and not forget anything. However, be flexible! You never know what great deals could await...
2). Be Informed: On your list make note of how much the items you are searching for normally cost--this will help you recognize if you are actually saving money this weekend. Keep in mind that some retailers raise prices prior to Black Friday. This means that the "deals" are not actually deals, they are the regular cost. Also make sure you know what your budget is going into this weekend!
3). Plan Ahead: Many retailers have a membership and/or rewards program that you can take advantage of to get even bigger, better deals. Before this weekend begins, go to their online stores and make an account. Input all your billing and shipping info so it is saved. Write down all your usernames and passwords so that you don't forget and brace yourself for incredible savings. If you have to wait to get a membership card in the mail, print out the card number and profile so you can still use it in store!
4). BREATHE! Remember to have fun with this and stay safe. This is not the time to spend your rent money or trample someone to get into a store. Be kind to the people around you, to the retail workers and to yourself.
Planning on skipping the lines and staying home? Our Office Assistant, Alex, does all her Christmas shopping online during Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend. Here is her tried and true game plan to avoid online traffic:
1). Follow all the above steps, most importantly #3. Having all your billing/shipping info saved for any online retailers you are going to shop from is critical! It will save you so much time.
2). Once you have an account with an online store, you can usually create a "wish list." Add any items you want to purchase on the weekend to this wish list. Many retailers online shops overflow with traffic and will be impossibly slow to use. By having a wish list created you don't have to search through pages of items; they are all one click away.
3). Make sure you don't "abandon" you shopping cart when trying to checkout. Doing so can lose any saved information and will not save you any time. Be patient; it will get processed.
4). Keep an eye out for shipping deals. Some places offer free shipping once you spend, for example, $50.00. So you could either pay $14.99 on shipping because you are not at that threshold, or you can purchase another item or two for the same price and get free shipping!
5). Watch you emails after the weekend; many shops continue to have deals right up until Christmas that you can take advantage of.
Have fun and good luck!
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