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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I love Black Friday shopping! I don’t have a plan yet … I prefer to look at the actual paper and then come up with a plan. The hubby and I go every year. It’s a tradition and a great way to spend less!
I don’t mind good sales, but I can’t stand all the people. I think I’m becoming more of a hermit the older I get!
I won’t be fighting the crowds so I guess the deals aren’t worth it to me…unless I could find something online then I could shop from the quiet, coziness of my own home.
I did get the 10% off Target gift cards, but I did it online to avoid crowds.
I honestly cannot think of a single deal that would get my butt out of bed at 4am to stand in the dark and cold NY weather. I really do not understand people who do this. I would rather “risk” spending more in the following weeks that fight the crowds. Good luck to those who are doing it this Friday, though.
I didn’t hear any stories of people getting maimed or killed, so hopefully everyone behaved!
I’ve never been a big Black Friday shopper because the deals up here just haven’t seemed incredible. I’d like to get my shopping out of the way this year though, so I’ll get my list together and hopefully be able to knock some stuff off the list. Also hopefully online, because it’s just so much easier than actually going to the store.
I’ve come to love online shopping. No rush, no crowds, and it shows up right outside my door. I generally buy clothes in stores because I like to try it on, but almost everything else can be done online.
Nope not worth it to me. I don’t like crowds. I once walked into a Target right after they opened on Black Friday and the line for the registers wrapped around the whole store TWICE. We left immediately because we were told the line was around 5 to 6 hours long just to ring out. Nope, nope, NOPE!
If I’m standing in line for 5 hours, it certainly would not be for checking out at Target!
I didn’t know that about Target. With it being online that might be worth something checking out. Other than that I’ll be spending it by staying home. The only thing we really needed was a new laptop for me and I got one about a week or two ago.
I need a new laptop, but I’m waiting for mine to completely fall apart. Every time I think it’s going, it seems to rally.
I would only consider it if there was something I had pre-planned and knew I really needed or something needed replacing. Right now I can’t think of anything besides needing some new threads, but even that wouldn’t get me to the store on Friday. I was actually thinking about selling my iPad!
I don’t get the thrill of the iPad. Jim has one that his work gave him, and I don’t see it’s much better than my Kindle.
I have gone Black Friday shopping every year for the last 12 or so but my ability to put up with the crowds has diminished since. I do like the people watching but standing in line 2 hours to pay for your stuff isn’t fun. I prefer to buy most stuff online now. When I was younger money was tighter so getting that “great” deal had more meaning to me than now.
There is not much I am willing to stand in line for. Online shopping has pretty much ruined me for crowds.
No, I’ve only been once and I was the only person at the store. They didn’t offer deals which is why I was the only person there. They were just open because everyone else was open. I don’t care to shop and much less with crowds. When I really sit back do I really need it or does the deal just make me feel like I need it? I covered Black Friday at the stores as a reporter and used to be that person watching everyone fight over piles of stuff even if they didn’t need it. I’d watch people walk out with 5 XBOX’s. I mean really? It’s a crazy time of year, but I’ve never been in to it, but it is the most requested day off by my employees so I usually end up being the only one at work since they are gone shopping.
That’s funny that Black Friday is requested off. I wonder if it’s more for shopping or because adding that day gives people a longer weekend. It’s hard to work the Friday after a Thursday off!
The Target gift card deal is awesome if you shop there for groceries! I wish my Target was closer =/
I wish we had a closer Target too. I ended up getting $300 worth of gift cards. With holiday gifts and stuff we will buy later in the year, it was a good deal.