Rachael’s Rules for Black Friday Shopping!

As an self-proclaimed shopaholic, Black Friday is one of the most exciting days of the year for me. I’ve been doing Black Friday shopping for years, and I believe I now have enough knowledge to share with you. When going Black Friday shopping, be sure to remember some things…

1. DON’T camp outside.

Seriously, why would you do this? I know some of the stuff is really cool and really cheap, but it’s just not worth it to camp outside waiting for stores to open. Especially now that you’re in college, you should treasure each precious moment you spend at home. Don’t waste your break in the cold. If you are deadset on wanting to go to stores before they open, don’t go more than 1 hour in advance.

2. DO look at ads before you go.

You wouldn’t believe how much time this saves. If you make a list and know exactly what you want to get, you can run into the store, make a mad dash to your item(s) of choice, and get out of there. This will also save you a lot of money. If you know exactly what you want to get, you won’t be tempted by other ridiculously cheap products. To check out some of the best deals, click here.

3. DON’T go with a big group of people

The more people you go with, the more places the group will want to go. That means you will most likely have to be dragged to several stores that you would rather not enter. This can all easily be avoided if you go with only about 3 or 4 people maximum. You can work more efficiently and finish shopping sooner, which means you can go to bed at a somewhat decent hour when you’re finished. And speaking of sleep…

4. DO get some sleep before you go

As tempting as it is to pull an all-nighter, you will need your strength if you are planning on doing some heavy-duty shopping. Get 2-3 hours of sleep before you go out. Also, this will prevent you from looking and acting like a zombie when you’re shopping. Trust me, you don’t want that to happen.

5. DO go out to breakfast during the appropriate hours

What better way to celebrate the amazing deals you took advantage of than going out for food afterwards? And I’m sure you’ll be hungry after lugging those heavy bags around for hours. My personal recommendations are IHOP, Denny’s, or McDonald’s. They are reasonably priced and have yummy food. Go with your group and make it bonding time!

There you have it! Hope this helps, and let me know what you get by either leaving me a comment, or telling me on twitter. Happy shopping and Happy Thanksgiving!

-Rachael