Black Friday Shopping

What does Black Friday Shopping have to do with homeschooling?  Plenty!  If you are homeschooling, you most likely have children, and if you have children you, more than likely, will be buying some sort of Christmas presents!The adventure of Black Friday Shopping has been a tradition in our extended family for years now.  I thought I would pass on some tips for the day that I have found that might help you.

My parents live in a fairly well populated area.  We go to their house for Thanksgiving and then spend the night, along with my sister and her family.  On Friday morning everyone gets up and gets ready for the day.  The children and Dads all take a ride on the rapid transit system and go down to the city for a little site seeing.  They always see a movie there or in the neighborhood closer to my parent’s house.

While they are doing that, my Mom and sister and I head out for some shopping.  Black Friday shopping is serious business, but you don’t have to take it too seriously.  I don’t try to get all my Christmas shopping done in one day, but I usually get a good start.

You may be cringing at the thought of the crowds, but we really have never had any issues with the crowds.  I think the crowds tend to get bad in the late afternoon and evening.  By that time we are heading home for the night.

Here are some tips to help you make the best of the day:

1.  Check the Internet First – You might be able to avoid the lines by shopping online or taking advantage of in-store pickup.  The most important thing that the Internet will do for you is to help you get smart on prices.  If you have some idea of what you’re interested in buying, you can check prices online and have a gauge to compare to when you are in the stores.

2.  Make a List – I take a sheet of paper and write down every person I need to buy for.  Under each name I write ideas for what I would like to buy for that person. If you don’t really know what you want to buy for people, you will probably wander around all day and just end up feeling frustrated.

3. Check out Ads Ahead of Time – With a dismal seasonal forecast, you might be able to get some good deals this year.  Retailers are going to need to be competitive if they want to make a sale. We usually spend some time in the evening of Thanksgiving looking through the sale ads. Take the newspaper ads with you if you have to.  You can keep them in the car and compare prices between stores.

4. Take Only What You Need – Try to either put your money and cards in a pocket or keep the contents of your purse to a minimum.  This will lighten your load and also protect you from losing a lot if something is stolen from you.

5. Decide If You Want to Lose Sleep – Are those early bird deals worth losing sleep?  Only you can decide that. If you know what you need and find a good price that you’re willing to sacrifice sleep and fighting crowds, then go for it.  If price isn’t that important to you, then losing sleep and fighting crowds will not be worth it for you. One year we got up early to go to one toy store.  I don’t remember it being worth the extra hassle.  We usually get started around 9:30am and seem to find everything we need for pretty decent prices.

I hope this information was helpful to you.  Black Friday shopping doesn’t have to be a dreaded task if you are prepared and go into the day with a good attitude.  Be sure to stop and sit down when you need to, and grab a special snack.