5 Productivity Tips For Black Friday Shopping

Even with some stores opening as early as 6 pm on Thanksgiving night, time is of the essence when it comes to Black Friday shopping if you want to score the best deals before time or inventory run out. I’ve personally given up Black Friday shopping all together in exchange for shopping early and scoring deals while still in my slippers on Cyber Monday. However you do your holiday shopping – it’s important to remember a few rules to shop smart:

1. One stop shopping. Stores like Amazon.com, Overstock.com, Target, and Walmart all carry a range of products from home goods to clothing to electronics. When you pick one store and do the bulk of your shopping there you’ll save time waiting in lines, money on multiple shipping costs, and the headache of tracking your “Black Friday Budget.”

2. Stick to your list. Window shopping is half the fun of shopping, but on Black Friday and Cyber Monday it can be dangerous. That toaster looks so tempting when it’s 50% off and comes with a free spice rack, but if you don’t need it you’re wasting $20 (not to mention counter space). Shop with a plan on Black Friday – you’re a list maker on a mission!

3. Skip the shipping. The one advantage of shopping at an actual store is that you get to skip the shipping costs. Investing in Amazon Prime or using a free shipping website are great ways to save. Just be careful of deals where shipping is free when you spend a certain amount or you may end up spending more on things you don’t need to save $7 in shipping.

4. There’s an app for that. With an overwhelming number of deals coming from nearly every store in America, it can be hard to know if you’re getting the best deals. Apps like Hukkster let you “follow” products to find the where to buy them for the best price. Save yourself the time of shopping around and use the app to compare prices.

5. Outsource. I’ve written about outsourcing before as a great way to stay productive but I believe Black Friday is what apps like TaskRabbit were made for! Outsource waiting in line or picking up pre-ordered products and you’ll be done shopping in no time. Use the code GOBBLE15 to get $15 off your holiday tasks with TaskRabbit.

Remember, shopping productively saves you money and time – and that’s the best deal of all!