Shopping for friends and family for the holidays can be an extremely stressful experience. Shopping on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, can be particularly harrowing. Waking up early, waiting in line, elbowing other store customers out of the way, trying to find the best gifts before all of the best deals are gone: it is, in many ways, a nightmare.
Fortunately, in the last decade or so, we’ve seen the rise of a new shopping holiday: Cyber Monday. On Cyber Monday, you can sit back at your desk, turn on your computer, and patiently, quietly, shop to your heart’s content. How can you find the best deals online?
Kara Kamanec, Editorial Director of Faveable.com had these tips:
- On Black Friday and Cyber Monday it’s wise to adopt some flexibility. An item may not be exactly the model you want but if the price is insanely good, making the purchase is probably a smart move.
- Of course you’ll find deals on Cyber Monday, but did you know you could also get a discount on top of those deal prices? That’s right, with aggregated coupon tools you can easily apply coupon codes before checkout that can save you a little extra or throw in something special, such as free shipping. With a simple click, these browser-installed tools, such as Coupons at Checkout and Honey, scan the Internet for the best discount codes you can apply right at checkout. Although it’s good to know not all coupons will work on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, taking an extra 30 seconds to check if they do is well worth the payoff.
- To be clear, “$100 Off!” does not always mean $100 off the regular price. Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are all about presentation, and the best deals are only visible in the details. $100 could be $100 off the MSRP; it could be $100 off the price that was hiked up last week to prepare for this sale; it could be $100 off the highest price point throughout the shelf life of the item. All in all, you’ll have no idea what type of deal you are getting unless you check prices beforehand. To get the best sense of the regular price and actual deal, check prices before Halloween, when pre-Black Friday hype isn’t yet in full swing. The best way is to manually check and keep October prices in a list or utilize online tools for automated price tracking.
With these tips and your trusty personal computer, you’ll be able to find something great for everyone on your list.
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