With Black Friday exactly a week away, those of us on the lookout for a shopping marathon of bargain hunting can get excited that the festivities are soon to begin. The name “Black Friday” came about as a way for retailers to signal a shift from losing money to a season of profitability from accounting’s “in the black.” Before you embark on your shopping adventures, there are several myths and traps that you should be ready to avoid:
1. The Doorbuster Trap:
Many stores advertise extremely low priced items that are offered to a certain number of customers that are the first in the store. Make sure you read the fine print about how many of these items are going to be handed out in the store. Most of the time a very small number like ten items are sold and tickets are distributed to early store comers way before stores even open at midnight.
2. The Apple Trap
It is common belief that you must visit an Apple store in order to get the best deals. In fact, the same deals are also available online. But don’t expect deep price cuts on any items, and don’t expect discounts in general on brand new products such as the iPad mini and iPad 4.
3. The Price-Matching Trap
Target just began a new price matching program that runs from November 1 to December 16. Customers can show a store employee a lower priced item on a mobile phone or bring in an original receipt from online retailers including walmart.com and bestbuy.com. Be aware though that Target will not match prices from Black Friday through Cyber Monday and there are a long list of product exclusions on Target’s website.
4. The I-Can-Return-It Trap
If you are not already familiar with a store’s return policy, you may want to check it especially during the holiday shopping season. Many stores change their policies and shorten the return period time specifically over Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend.
5. The Cyber Monday Trap
Most people believe that the best online shopping deals happen on the Monday after Black Friday which is known as Cyber Monday. But, most of these deals exist way before Monday and begin at midnight on Black Friday. Don’t miss out on deals that happen online just by waiting until Monday.
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