t’s
already in the air. The frenzy of upcoming shopping deals is upon us,
with online retailers offering a “Black Friday Deals Week” or even
“Cyber Monday Week”. Amazon.com has
been offering Black Friday “countdown” deals for several days, offering
customers daily deals on a wide variety of merchandise.
Savvy
shoppers that are looking for the best online and locally-focused deals
will use technology tools and patience to help them find the best deals
without blowing through their
budget. The following eight tips provide consumers with some helpful
tips to manage the shopping frenzy:
1.
Looking for daily deals and other local steals? Use a map-based deal aggregator service such as
8coupons
to find good deals. It presents deals from various
sources that are displayed in a map, so viewers can quickly see the
best local incentives. It also provides a platform for consumers to buy,
view, and create their own deals.
2.
Start
early. Don’t wait until the morning of Cyber Monday to dive into the
deals. Many highly promoted items could be a limited inventory, meaning
they will be sold out quickly and normal pricing might remain on the
rest of the stock. Stay up until midnight eastern on Sunday night to get
on top of the best deals right when they go live.
3.
Do
some recon. Try out some items at a brick and mortar store before you
snag an online deal. Even if that new TV is 65% off, if you don’t like
the
picture quality in the person, then it’s not a “deal” at all. In-person
visits help you judge the size and weight of products, and you can even
get a feel for the quality of their construction.
4.
Focus
on the right items. Cyber Monday is especially good for clothes, DVDs,
video games, jewelry, and books, which are some of the most common items
on most people’s shopping lists. Combine these items with free
shipping, and many people can avoid Black Friday entirely. Appliances
are also a good buy during this time, especially with the savings of
free delivery.
5.
Look
for big deals on last year’s products. Electronics change versions very
frequently, and in many cases the changes are basically cosmetic. As
long
as the previous version won’t have “compatibility issues”, then grab a
great deal on an item that will be perceived as old, even if it was
released 10 months ago!
6.
Watch out for
“add-on” items that you might not really need or use. While you should
get a nice case for your iPad, don’t assume the ones that popup
after you buy your device are the cheapest and best options. Retailers
suggest items to encourage impulse buys, which are a sure way to eat
into your savings.
7.
Cyber Monday and
Black Friday deals aren’t just for electronics. Many daily deals sites
such as Groupon and LivingSocial are also offering discounts
on locally-focused deals on services from spa treatments to hotel
stays. Simply pop in your zip code and see what deals you can find.
8.
A
coupon doesn’t always mean you get the best deal. Make sure you do the
math to ensure your discount coupon savings is greater than the sale
price
on the same item offered through another site. Free shipping should be
easy to find on Cyber Monday, so the value of free shipping coupons
isn’t very high during the sales.
Remember that sales will happen again.
Many items are offered for sale at various times throughout the year.
That’s the beauty of online shopping and the plethora of daily deal and
ecommerce sites out there, you can almost always find a sale price. So
enjoy Cyber Monday and Black Friday, but don’t go too overboard!
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