It’s that time of year when shopping is a must. One day only, starting in the wee hours of the morning, Black Friday is upon us – stores awaiting customer arrival to purchase their unusually underpriced merchandise. Dresses, accessories, shoes, oh my! The same quality items that would normally be close to $20 are reduced to a mere $5. This is obviously great for the average consumer. The only downfall: every other consumer will be there.
Take note of a few tips to surviving this retail miracle. So grab a coffee and prepare yourself for a shopping spree!
Get a good night‘s sleep and make sure you are awake.
Stores open earlier than usual on Black Friday, and there will be a large anticipatory line outside of most outlets even before opening hours. The lines for the cashier and the dressing rooms will probably be out the door, not to mention the inevitable chaos that always stems from everyone trying to grab the last sweater in the correct size. You will need all the energy you can get to cope with the madness.
If you can avoid the dressing room, do it.
Don’t wait around to try on a basic tank that you know is going to fit. Just skip it and move on. However, don’t skimp on trying on a dress or pants that you think will look cute, but once you get home, you may be disappointed and have to come back to initiate a return. Rule of thumb: if it’s a basic and you know for sure it will fit perfectly, dodge the dressing room.
Don’t buy the store out.
While it may be an extraordinary shopping day, the same rules that would apply if you were shopping normally apply on Black Friday as well. If you aren’t sure about the dress or top, then sleep on it. If you don’t love it in the morning, then you know you made the right decision. Also, try to pick items that you know will fit in your wardrobe somehow. Imagine that top with a pair of jeans in your closet.
Buy necessities first.
Of course you can treat yourself to new and exciting clothes, but remember what you need before what you want. Buy the bras and underwear before you grab for the sparkly dress you feel you need to have for the holidays. It will be there the next day. Plus, you don’t want to spend all of your money on things you want before you realize you have nothing left for what you really and truly need. Remember, in addition to personal buys, Black Friday can be used as a great way to get all of the holiday shopping done, as well.
Black Friday is all about getting into the spirit of things. Just like Christmas morning, you wake up early in excitement for all of the new gifts you are about to procure, only to get back home and try everything on again. Just to make sure it still looks good. It’s the holiday season – take advantage of the joyous overspending while you can. Happy Shopping!
Alexa Wilansky can be reached at [email protected].
