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Draper Journal

How To Find Black Friday Deals Before Black Friday

Oct 23, 2014 11:23AM ● By Joani Taylor
Joani Taylor

 I know, you don’t want to hear it but, it’s time to say it: Christmas Shopping. How many years has Christmas come and gone and you’ve said to yourself “next year I’m going to get done early”?  How about making this the year?! With a little planning you can get your holiday shopping done early, stay within your budget and have the confidence you got the best available price. 


It might surprise you to know that many stores and online retailers actually have their rock bottom prices well before Black Friday; in fact they are going right now. Then they raise their prices just so they can lower them again for one outrageous day of chaos (November 28). Now, if your family tradition is to shop ’til you drop at the wee hours of the morning or, as we saw last year, before the Thanksgiving table has been cleared, by all means, have your fun with family and friends. But, for those that prefer to avoid the crowds, craziness and like to sleep off the turkey tummy, here’s a few simple tricks I’ve picked up over the years for getting the best Black Friday deals before Black Friday arrives.

Make a list, make a list, make a list… The sooner you get your budget set and gifts in mind the easier it is to find and recognize the bargains for those items. If you know a high ticket electronics item, smart phone, tablet, computer, game system or even home appliances like vacuums and blenders will be on your list, list them now and start considering and narrowing in on brand.

Now that you have your list, price out your items. My favorite places to price compare are Amazon.com, Target.com, BestBuy.com, Walmart.com, SEARS.com and ToysRus.com. If you’re a warehouse club member check SamsClub.com and Costco.com too. Knowing these prices and becoming brand familiar before the rush starts will be the most invaluable information you can have. Now you’ll be able to spot the deal when you see it and then make your purchase with confidence. 

But, where do you look? Start with your Sunday newspaper. The ad section is full of them and you’ll find you look at them much differently now that you know what you’re looking for. When you find a price you like, don’t forget to check for coupons. Stores usually post their coupons right on their website. Many will send you one just for signing up for their email alerts. You can find a weekly list of stores with coupons at www.coupons4utah.com/storecoupons

Follow online deal sites. There are 100’s of deal sites that do nothing but scour the web for secret deals so you don’t have to. Daily deal hunters include www.DealNews.com, www.BradsDeals.com, www.SlickDeals.net and shamelessly, I’ll mention, www.Coupons4Utah.com

So, whatcha’ waiting for? Get out your pen and paper and start making that list. Just imagine, trimming the tree and wrapping up those gifts on Black Friday. Ahh… Sweet Success.