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Black Friday has come to stay. Whether you’ve heard about it before or not, doesn’t take away the fact that Black Friday has over the years become one of the most anticipated sales days in Nigeria.
In this piece, we explained what black Friday is and outlined 6 ways you can make the most of the day as a shopper.
What is Black Friday?
Black Friday is the shopping day following immediately after Thanksgiving. While it might be popular now as the best day to get the hottest deals and discounts, it has a history that many are unaware.
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The history of how Black Friday came to be is quite fascinating. First of all, the name “Black Friday” came to be as a result of how much traffic and accidents holiday shoppers caused on the day after Thanksgiving.
As early as in the 50’s people had already started taking advantage of the day after the Thanksgiving holiday, to complete their Christmas shopping. By this time, the name had not yet been coined.
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Eventually, most offices included it as an official holiday, rather than have so many workers calling in sick on the day.
At first, the name was met with much disgruntlement as the term “Black” often was used to connote negative occurrences. For example “Black Monday” and “Black Thursday” are the names for the day the stock market crashed, on October 19, 1987, and October 24, 1929.
Eventually, though, people began to accept the name and even celebrated the date. This particular shopping day after Thanksgiving signalled some of the highest sales businesses made. To encourage more customers to visit their establishments and shop, stores attached steep discounts to their goods only for that day.
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Why You Should Care About Black Friday as a Shopper
Taking into account the somewhat rocky beginning the day faced, it is a shock that it flourishes as it does today. In 2013, the shopping industry recorded a total of $57.4 million online and retail sales.
Black Friday is now celebrated worldwide. Designer stores, online stores and even corner stores all advertise their most significant discounts on that day in a bid to lure the most customers.
How to make the most of Black Friday 2019
Here are some tips on how to make the most of Black Friday, and how to sniff out the best deals.
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Have a Plan
The worst trips happen when there is no plan.
What store do you plan on visiting on Black Friday? How good are their deals, and is there a time limit to them?
If you think that Black Friday shopping involves walking into stores and picking out items, or making your selections on the shopping sites, you have another thing coming.
Every other person has the very same intentions as you, so it is going to be a battle of the fittest. Before moving in for the kill, you must strategize carefully on the goods you plan on buying.
If you are going for the hot items or the deeply discounted ones, make sure you get up early and set out with a clear plan to ensure you get the deal.
Itemize the Goods
As long as there are goods on discount left and right, the temptation to impulse buy will always be there.
Once you have a plan, though, you have a way to cut down on impulse buying smartly.
First, you should make a list, prioritizing the essential items. There should also be space for alternative purchases if these items are not available.
Your comprehensive list should include all the items you want, their prices and your estimated budget, so you do not deviate. These items are the very first things you must buy before making any deviations. Self-control is the ultimate key to Black Friday shopping.
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Subscribe to Your Favourite Stores
Do you have that one store that offers the best of deals every holiday season?
Long before the holiday decorations roll out, compile a list of some of your favourite stores and follow them on social media. Or, you can take it a bit further by signing up to their email newsletter.
This way, you will be the first to get notified on new deals dropping. You could even receive exclusive discounts for being a part of their social media family.
Download the App
Most online stores today have an app. Every second matter when you go Black Friday shopping. If your preferred online store has an app, it would be in your best interests to download and get familiar with the app before the D-day.
Most store websites experience a server crash at least once on Black Friday. This is mostly due to the high influx of visitors as soon as the sales start. To avoid being among the people who get suddenly logged out are unable to make a purchase, shop on the app.
It is easier, faster, and more convenient.
Do your Research
Every store advertises that they have the most significant discounts but, only a few items are worth it.
Before heading out to join the Black Friday madness, do some research on the actual prices of the goods that stores are advertising at a 50% discount.
Most stores inflate the prices of these products a few weeks to the Black Friday, and then falsely advertise it as a “slashed price”. Buyers would go into making the purchases feeling like they have got the best possible deal.
Go For The Big Goods First
The bigger goods are often the first to go in any sales. Once the doors are open at your local shopping mall or any other big store, half the Black Friday crowd makes a collective surge towards the electronics aisle.
This is because most times, the discounts on these items are the biggest. For example, phones, portable speakers, and even television sets are the most aimed for details on Black Friday.
Most times, only a few items of these products are made available, making them a very competitive purchase.
Your priority list would come in handy here. Do you take chances with the bulky goods, and miss out on smaller deals you could have for sure gotten? Or, would you instead bag the lower bargains and leave the big dogs to fight out that TV set?
Black Friday has made more than a tiny impression on retailers and shoppers in a large chunk of the world.
The day went from a somewhat controversial name to date sometimes celebrated even more than the actual holiday it succeeds.
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