Top 10 Tips to Bag a Bargain on Black Friday

Note: This story comes from Edgar Dworsky at partner site Consumer World.

With the best bargain-hunting days of the year nearly here, shoppers are advised to do their homework in advance to find the best products at the best prices, and to check the circulars of their favorite stores to see when their Black Friday sales begin.

“Some stores are making certain Black Friday items available days or even weeks in advance this year,” explained Edgar Dworsky, founder of ConsumerWorld.org. “So, look for their fliers online, and then check retailers’ websites, because you may be able to buy now and avoid the crowds.”

Consumer World offers these holiday shopping tips to help bag the best bargains:

1. Read the ads

Preview the Black Friday sale circulars now at BFAds.net and get a list of sale items at all stores by category, such as all HDTVs or laptops, at blackfriday.gottadeal.com.

Check local newspapers on Thanksgiving Day. They will be chock-full of circulars and last-minute deals.

Friday’s papers will include additional sales. Get on retailers’ email lists, check their websites for additional “hidden” bargains and look for deals and coupons listed on their social media sites.

2. Evaluate the deals

Not all Black Friday-advertised items are the best deals. To separate the ho-hum deals from the good ones, use a pricing tool, such as the Price Checker at Consumer World or Camelcamelcamel.com (to compare today’s price for an item to what was charged over the past year at Amazon and other sellers).

If shopping online, find out the total price including shipping and tax (if any). This year, Best Buy and Target are offering free shipping with no minimum.

Finally, check the reputation of any unfamiliar online sellers at BizRate.com or ResellerRatings.

3. Research the right product

A low price on a lousy product is no bargain.

Check websites where professionals evaluate products, such as Consumer Reports, Wirecutter, LCD TV Buying Guide (for televisions), PCMag.com (computers), best/worst toy lists, etc.

Check the user reviews posted after most product descriptions at websites of Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart and other retailers.

4. Save with ‘triple plays’

To save the most, combine the primary ways to save: Buy items at a good sale price, use percent-off/dollars-off/bonus points coupons offered by some stores to lower that price even more, and look for items that also have a cash-back rebate. Kohl’s has the most bonus offers like these.

5. The early bird gets the doorbusters

Find out which day the sale begins and go when the store first opens because quantities are limited and no rain checks will generally be given.

Opening hours vary because many stores are closed on Thanksgiving this year, or will open later on the holiday — around 5 p.m. Most stores in states with blue laws will open after midnight Thanksgiving evening to 1 a.m. Friday. Some stores will open (or re-open) between 5-9 a.m. on Friday. Online sales begin earlier than in-store sales (see next tip).

Look for great deals and “doorbusters” including:

• Walmart: Roku SE, $18; SanDisk 128-gig memory card, $14
• Sears: Kenmore 26-cubic-foot French door refrigerator, $809.99 (with a Sears card) + $100 in SYW points; men’s and women’s Roebuck jeans, $9.99
• Kohl’s, Macy’s, JCPenney: Small appliances $2.14 to $7.99 after rebate and coupon (Kohl’s)
• Target: Keurig K-Select coffeemaker, $49.99; 3-foot Teddy, $10 (store only); Ninja blender and accessories, $99.99; $50 off $100 Christmas decorations (Saturday only)
• Macy’s: Crockpot, watches, bed pillows, frying pans, more: free after rebate (store only); Ladlow 90-inch sofa, $399
• Bed, Bath & Beyond: 25% off entire purchase with coupon (obtain in-store, ends noon Friday)
• Fred Meyer: Instant Pot, 8-quart, $49.99
• BJ’s Wholesale Club: Panasonic three-handset cordless telephones, $29.99; Keurig K50, $49.99; Cuisinart 15-piece cookware set, $99.99; MyPillow, $19.99
• Costco: Men’s Levi’s 505 jeans, $24.99
• Office Depot: APC UPS battery backup, $29.99
• Old Navy: 50% off everything in the store (anticipated sale; note days)

More deals may be added over the next week, so check back!

6. Beat the early birds

Some Black Friday prices are available early Thanksgiving week. For example, Kohl’s deals that aren’t doorbusters will be available online starting Monday at 1:01 am ET, and their doorbusters will be online at 1:01 a.m. Thursday and in-store at 5 p.m. that day.

Walmart’s Black Friday sale will begin online Wednesday at 10 p.m. and in-store at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Be warned that stores are generally terrible about indicating which items will also be available online, so you have to check both. To maximize efficiency on your store visits, scope out key retailers the day before Thanksgiving to learn each store’s floor plan in advance. Some stores like Walmart offer diagrams to locate sale items that are not in the usual place.

7. Check the return policy

Before buying, find out the store’s return policy and whether return shipping is free for online orders. Many stores have extended their return deadlines into January.

8. Get a gift receipt

Make returns easier for gift recipients by asking the store for a gift receipt and include it in the gift box.

Without a receipt, a refund may be denied outright, or may be limited to only an equal exchange or a merchandise credit for the lowest price on the item in the recent past.

9. Use the right credit card

Certain credit cards offer valuable free benefits.

For example, don’t be pressured into buying a service contract when you can get up to an extra year of warranty coverage free just by using some better credit cards.

Some credit cards also offer a return protection guarantee (they will refund the purchase price within 90 days if the store will not), or offer a sale price guarantee (they will give you back the difference if an item goes on sale within 60 days of purchase). Many cards have dropped these benefits, so double-check with your issuer.

10. Save more with price-match guarantees

Stores generally will not honor price matches from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, but they will after that period. Keep checking the prices of items you bought and you may be entitled to get back some money if the seller or a competitor offers a lower price before Christmas.

Got any great shopping ideas of your own? Leave a comment below or on our Facebook page.