Are Any Black Friday Deals Worth Fighting the Crowd?
I have a big goal this year of not getting sucked into any Black Friday deals. I hate crowds, rampant consumerism, and marketing ploys that make people think they are saving money by spending more. That being said, Black Friday does offer some pretty sweet deals. In my rule book, if purchases are necessary or add value, are something you needed to buy right away,and are at the best price, it’s probably time to pull the trigger when a good deal comes along. Right now, I’m on the fence about going to any stores on Black Friday, but in the name of saving money, here are some deals that could make it worth fighting the crowd on Black Friday.
Target Gift Cards
Target is offering maybe the most attractive Black Friday deal of all, 10% off up to $300 in gift cards in stores AND at Target.com on Friday the 28th between 6AM and Noon. You can use the gift cards starting on Saturday the 29th, and they don’t have an expiration date. I love deals like this because it’s a flat 10% off. I can easily see Jim and myself each getting $300 worth for $60 off things we would normally buy throughout the year. I think we will probably be giving Target gift cards to our nephews this Christmas. If you do lots of your regular shopping at Target and have the money, it would make sense to buy online and/or maybe fight the crowds to take full advantage of this deal.
iPads
It looks like Target is also offering gift cards ranging from $100 to $149 for various iPad purchases. You can see the full offers in this Huffington Post article.
Walmart is offering an iPad mini 16gb for $199 with a $30 gift card thrown in. This offer is only from 6 PM to 7 PM on Thanksgiving day but does fall under the one hour guarantee program they offer so people won’t kill each other trying to grab limited quantities. I would rather have all my front teeth pulled than go to Walmart on Thanksgiving day, but if you really want a rock bottom price on an iPad, this might be your deal.
Kindle Fire
If you aren’t an Apple snob, a Kindle Fire HD might work just as well for a much lower cost. I have one and I love it. Kindle Fire tablets are super easy to use and cost at least $100 less than iPads with similar specs. I guess you’ll have to decided what works better for your needs.
Amazon
Amazon is offering different Black Friday deals all week long. That makes it a little harder to search for specific items, but if you want to scroll through before hitting stores, it’s never a bad idea. Ordering from the comfort of your home and not fighting crowds might actually be worth more to me than mega in store savings.
Kid’s Clothes
My kiddo does need some winter clothes. We’ve been holding out because our fall was so nice, but it might be time to jump. Old Navy has 50% off the whole store from 4 PM on Thanksgiving until closing on Friday night.
Kohl’s
Kohl’s always seems to have good sales, so I’m not sure if Black Friday is any better than some of the ones we’ll likely to see in the coming month. They are having 50% off on toys for Black Friday, and there is a selection of useful household items like blenders and mixers for $9.99. They are also offering a juicer for $39.99 after mail in rebate for those of you looking to get healthier for the holidays. Kohls usually have offers all the time in multiple categories. And to save on already discounted products at Kohls, use coupons and deal codes for Kohls.
Best Ways To Save on Black Friday
Obviously, the best way to save on Black Friday is to avoid stores, online or in person. I really believe you can get most of your shopping done without having to get up at 3 AM to stand in line. If you do enjoy the drama and fanfare of Black Friday, do yourself the favor of planning your purchases and don’t get carried away if you are first in line for that awesome deal that you had no intention of buying.
Are there any deals that will make you fight the crowds this Black Friday? Do you stock up if you find discounts on gift cards?
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My favorite Black Friday deals are when you buy a gift card and get more gift cards free. I buy these for myself! For example, at the five minute oil change place I go to, if I buy $100 in gift cards, I get $25 free. Considering they never expire, and I’m always going to need oil changes, I think these are totally worthwhile.
Wild horses could not drag me out to fight with hoards of marauding shoppers in the early hours of the morning. I see videos of them on the news, trampling each other and getting into fist-fights over “stuff”. Some even get themselves arrested… crazy!
But now it’s spreading to Europe and the UK. Thanks for that… 🙂
I heard Black Friday was spreading to Europe. I’m really sorry. It was not this way when I was a kid, but now, sadly, it’s almost as big of a deal as Thanksgiving.
I was sad that I didn’t wake up this early morning to be part of the long line. Despite that, I was still lucky that I avoided myself from spending hundreds of dollars. I am still hopeful that there’ll be a big sale after the Black Friday!
I think there will be plenty of sales between now and Christmas. No reason to get up before dawn!
I’ve resisted the urge this year but looks like Kohl’s had some really good deals. A friend of mine got a 30 inch tv for $100 but had a 15% coupon and they gave him $30 in Kohl’s bucks also. Hard to say that’s not a really good deal.
I prefer cyber monday.
I think there are some really good deals to be had, especially if you were going to buy the item anyway. I just hate all the fighting and anxiety that seems to go with Black Friday.