It’s the most wonderful time of the year – depending on who you ask. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, it’s time to get ready like you’re prepping for doomsday because this is nearly as serious; it’s the biggest shopping event of the year.
While we prepare for our Black Friday & Cyber Monday sales, we wanted to share some tips for surviving the Retail-Purge in one piece! We’re going to give you some tips for Black Friday shopping, and tips for Cyber Monday, which is only a few days later. Let’s get you prepped and ready to storm the thresholds of stores and dot-coms everywhere.
Tips for Black Friday Shopping
Here are some tips for Black Friday shopping that could save you a ton of money! Dramatic? Yes. Accurate? Still yes.
1. Start Early
There’s no such thing as too early when it comes to preparing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Pretend this is war, and gear up for a tough battle ahead. Sure, its hyperbole, but it can be brutal when the sales begin as everyone fights over getting the last iPhone 13 or our Solo Ryzer Standing Desk.
2. Budget
Money is tight, and while specials are great, don’t over-extend yourself! Be sure to budget what you can spend and try and estimate what might be coming your way, and then be a bit generous with your estimation in case. Be strict but try to give yourself some room to play with if you’re pleasantly surprised when the day comes, and you are overbudgeted.
3. Don’t Bring Kids
The first of many Black Friday safety tips is just leave the kids at home. No matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise, bringing kids is a terrible idea. They may not follow orders well enough to be helpful and will probably just slow you down – oh yes, this is a safety tip! Black Friday is chaos, and the last thing you want is to lose your child in the sea of soccer moms going for the juicers.
4. Avoid Physical Brick and Mortar Stores
Going back to that chaos we mentioned earlier, if possible, you would be wise to avoid the crowds of a shopping center or stores in general. Things can get pretty ugly in there when everyone is going crazy for specials.
5. Safety in Numbers
Travel like a pack of wild animals and never leave each other. This means taking the whole planning phase to a Defcon five/code red type level where you all come up with a plan to conquer the outlet malls so you each get what you need and want.
6. Don’t Leave Items Visible in Your Car
If you want to get robbed, then leave your items visible in your car. However, if you’re like me and don’t enjoy getting your car broken into, then don’t flaunt your treasure trove of successful purchases. People get desperate, some get selfish, and some just like stuff. Regardless of the reason, just know there is one, and it can very well happen to you. So, minimize the threat.
7. Start Hunting on Your Favorite Brands Socials
Follow your favorite brands on social media and check their feeds like you’re a P.I. looking for a killer. Don’t rely on your feed to tell you what’s going on; those things have proven to be useless in showing you the information you actually want to see. You need to check yourself every now and then.
8. Policies & Warranties
We’re all guilty of making some ill-informed purchases or impulse buying. However, it’s a good idea to know the warranties and return policies on your purchases to be sure you can fix a mistake once you realize it. More importantly, if the product doesn’t work or isn’t as advertised, you want to know that returning it is possible, considering some places create special rules on Black Friday and Cyber Monday to minimize or eliminate returns altogether.
9. Stay Online
In all honesty, just stick to online. Sometimes there are better specials in-store, we won’t deny that. However, there are still amazing specials online, too. Additionally, you can take advantage of them without potentially losing your mind, child, or the will to live.
Tips for Shopping on Cyber Monday
You survived Black Friday, and now it’s time for Cyber Monday. Most online retailers still do something for Black Friday, so this is an additional special for them. If you already got what you needed from a retailer offering both, take a glance at the Cyber Monday specials and move on quickly. You’ve got a lot of ground to cover and don’t need to be slowed down!
1. Look at What Your Favorite Brands Did Last Year
This is the easiest way to see what you’re in for when it comes to specials. Suppose you’re looking at brands that are very niche, very specialized, or maybe only offer a single product or service. In that case, you’ll be able to know pretty quickly what is going to be on their agenda.
You can find their past specials by looking on their social media pages/accounts as they likely would have posted it the previous Cyber Monday.
2. Sign-Up for Newsletters
Newsletters let you know what’s happening and when. Unfortunately, they’re also incredibly annoying, so sign up a bit before Cyber Monday, and once it’s all over, just unsubscribe if you want to avoid the barrage of emails!
3. Plan Ahead
Never underestimate what could happen on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. You need to be prepared to do your shopping quickly in case offers are limited or increased traffic causes the sites to crash or whatever could happen. So, rank your priority purchases and game plan your shopping before it comes time to spend.
4. Resist the Temptation for Add-On Purchases
Online retailers are smart – they like to offer the base product incredibly cheap but jack the prices of the add-on up, and throw them at you every chance they get. As difficult as it may be, don’t purchase them. Wait for the madness of Cyber Monday to die down and get it later when it does come on special or when you truly can afford it. The goal should never be to spend full price on anything on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
5. Safety Tip: Be Careful on the Internet
A pro Cyber Monday safety tip is to be careful on the internet! The internet can be a dangerous place for you and for the stores you shop at online. Be sure they’re secure and legit – the last thing you need is your information being stolen or your computer hacked. Don’t shop anywhere that seems sketchy in any way, shape, or form.
Look Out for Our Black Friday Specials!
We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to bring you the best standing desks at the craziest Black Friday and Cyber Monday prices! This whole article has been prepared for you to be sure to budget for our upcoming super sale. Be sure to follow our socials, bookmark our website, pick out a desk and keep those eyes peeled. Furthermore, if you want to know why you should consider making a standing desk a Black Friday priority, read our blog on all the benefits of a standing desk right here and here.