The DOs and DON’Ts of Black Friday Shopping
It is officially the holiday season and you know what that means…Black Friday shopping!
Black Friday is the biggest shopping event of the year where you can get great deals. If you love to shop, (and have seen all the early Black Friday shopping ads) you look forward to this day every year since it is the official first day of the Christmas shopping season. You probably can’t wait to eat your fill of a delicious Thanksgiving meal and then head out to the mall.
I understand…I feel the same way.
Recently, though, I had a very different Black Friday experience. Instead of taking advantage of the amazing sales at all of my favorite stores, I worked a six-hour shift at a clothing store in the mall. This was my first time experiencing Black Friday as a retail worker, and it completely changed my perspective on the day. I learned a lot about Black Friday etiquette and wanted to share my list of most important Dos and Don’ts for this exciting shopping holiday.
DO: Be Mindful of Sales
Not all stores will have sales that are worth going bananas over. Just because it’s Black Friday doesn’t mean you should forgo logic. One way to help prevent buyer’s remorse the next day is to make a list of everything you want or need to buy while Black Friday shopping, as well as a budget, and stick to it as best you can. Take some time browsing your favorite stores’ websites to get a sense of the products and sales ahead of time.
If you are wondering what some of the hot items are going to be this year for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2019, below are a few:
This will help you refine your list, and you can have a better idea of how much you will be spending. It might turn out that if you buy everything on the list, it will cost a lot of money! It’s better to figure that out now rather than Saturday morning when you check your online banking account. Or, if you are just shopping for the fun of it, give yourself a max budget and do not go over it.
Ebates has a great list of some of the best sales going on this year. You can check them out here.
Check out all the Black Friday Sales Happening at these stores below too!
Black Friday 2019 Deals on Amazon
Black Friday 2019 Deals at Walmart
Black Friday 2019 Deals at Target
Black Friday 2019 Deals at Macy’s
Black Friday 2019 Deals at Best Buy
DON’T: Get Caught Up in the Black Friday Shopping Craze
Avoid being swept away by the Black Friday Shopping Craze! You are a strong, independent thinker who can make rational shopping decisions despite the mass hysteria. Don’t go into debt in one day!
Instead, set a holiday budget for yourself. How much will you spend on gifts this year? And who all really needs a gift? These are not decisions that should be made in the store. That is the start of things going out of control.
Step 1: Make a list of everyone who needs a gift this year.
Step 2: Decide how much money you are willing to spend on gifts this year.
Step 3: Divide the number of people who need a gift by the amount you are willing to spend total. This should give you an average of what you should spend per person. So long as you do not go over the average for each person, you should be good to go!
DO: Have Reasonable Expectations of Employees
Retail workers want to help customers—it’s the main part of our job!
On a normal day, I’d be happy to spend an hour walking through the store with a customer to help them assemble the perfect outfit for a special occasion. On Black Friday, though, this sort of thing is impossible. It’s perfectly understandable to expect assistance from employees, even on a day as busy as this, but you can’t expect to receive individual attention for a long period of time.
Want someone to check in the back to see if your size is in stock? Sure!
Not sure where to find denim jackets? We’d be happy to help.
Need our opinion on whether an outfit matches? So there for that.
However, retail workers will probably not have the time or energy to go the extra mile, as they might on a normal day. Choosing to be a particularly demanding customer while Black Friday shopping will probably just leave you disappointed and frustrated.
DON’T: Hide Items to (Maybe) Come Back For Later
Shoppers hide items in stores more frequently than you might think. Unfortunately, it’s a behavior that becomes even more popular on Black Friday.
Bringing order back to a store after Black Friday is made even more difficult when you find a shoe hidden behind a stack of sweaters, or a pile of t-shirts thrown into a corner on the floor. If you are contemplating a purchase, ask one of the employees to put it on hold, just like on any other day. Do keep in mind, though, that some stores have a policy of not holding items on Black Friday. At that point, you simply need to be decisive.
Additionally, hiding merchandise is inconsiderate of other customers. If you aren’t ready to commit, maybe it’s not exactly what you’re looking for and you can move on.
DO: Be Respectful of Those Around You
Other shoppers and retail workers are all trying to enjoy themselves amidst the hectic environment on Black Friday. On Black Friday, I was working harder than I had ever worked at my retail job, and it was a blast. There’s a special sense of camaraderie you feel with your co-workers when you’re all caught up in this whirlwind. Don’t be the customer who ruins that fun for workers and other customers. There’s no need to push or be aggressive towards other shoppers.
DON’T: Lash Out at Retail Workers
This is a rule that everyone should follow 100% of the time. Unless you absolutely know for sure that a retail worker made a mistake, don’t blame them for something going wrong. And even if you do know they are at fault and you’re really upset, do your best to express yourself in a kind way.
Working retail is not an easy job, and we all make mistakes. Everyone who has this job truly appreciates kind and understanding customers. Trust me.
This guideline is especially important on Black Friday. Everyone who is working retail on this day is extremely stressed out—there are way more customers than normal to attend to, the store is a mess, a child is crying in the fitting rooms, and you’ve been running around the store carrying heavy loads for the past five hours. No amount of experience can fully prepare you for this. As a customer, please remember that those working on Black Friday are people too!
DO: Shop ’Til You Drop
This is a fun day; enjoy it! This list is meant to make everyone more mindful of their actions on this, particularly busy shopping day. Get out there, get some holiday shopping done, and have a great time while doing it.
Black Friday shopping can be a fun day spent with friends and family. These guidelines will ensure that everyone has a positive experience. Happy shopping!
Check out this year’s gift guides to get an idea of some cool items to buy!
Resources
Miss Millennia Magazine’s Gift Guides
I’m more of a Cyber Monday type of person but I know a ton of people who live for Black Friday shopping. I can’t wait to share this post with them. I’m sure they will like your last “DO” Shop Til’ You Drop! Thanks for sharing…I think these Do’s and Dont’s are helpful.
Cyber Monday is so appealing because you don’t have to deal with lines and you can be in your pajamas the whole time! Haha. Thanks for reading, tell your friends to comment and say you sent them to this article!
Wish we had something similar in India.
Yeah, Black Friday is a very American thing haha. Thanks for reading!
This post should be broadcasted nation wide as a PSA. If everyone followed these Dos and Don’ts I’d be more inclined to get into Black Friday. These are super helpful rules.
x Sola
http://www.lifestonedadventures.com
Wow, thank you! Glad you liked the article so much 🙂
and let me add one more tip – make sure you get to the stores you want early! 😀
Absolutely! Thanks for reading 🙂
These are some great do’s and don’ts and I need to pass it along. I do all of my Black Friday shopping online because there’s some crazy folks out there on Black Friday.
There really are! I’d love for you to share this article around. Glad you like it so much, thanks for reading!
Great tips. I love shopping on Black Friday, I always get the best deals. I love being around people as long as they aren’t rude and cutting in the lines.
As much work as it was, I loved working retail on Black Friday and I’m looking forward to it again this year! The crowds create such an exiting energy 🙂 Thank you for reading!
the don’ts hat people do are the reason I have never participated in a black friday, ever. 🙂
Haha I can’t really blame you, it gets pretty wild. Thanks for reading!
I’ve actually never shopped on Black Friday but last year did work at Target on Black Friday. My number one advice for anyone shopping at Target is to not pass something with hopes of coming back to it because they just wont let you. And the usually friendly staff gets a lot less friendly when there’s hundreds of people trying to run around lol
That’s a great tip, thanks!
I think it’s so important to remember that employees are people too and not lash out at them. Since I worked retail for nearly a decade I tend to avoid the sales and buy online.
Absolutely!! Most people don’t have that perspective, though, unless they’ve worked retail before. I’m so glad that I’ve had that experience, it has completely changed the way I interact with people! (Not that I was ever mean to retail workers previously…) Thank you for reading!
These are some great list of dos & dont’s. Though we love Black Friday shopping as they come up with best deals, these days with kid around I always tend to go for the best online deals that are available.
Oh man, I have seen many mother struggle while shopping with young kids on a normal day…I can’t imagine taking them Black Friday shopping! Thanks for reading 🙂