Some people love the hustle and bustle of the holiday shopping season. There’s an energy and excitement surrounding the rush to find the perfect holiday gift, and there’s no day more notoriously associated with holiday shopping than Black Friday.
Whether you love or hate it, the Friday after Thanksgiving is THE day that the holiday shopping season starts.
But, with all its flaws, and the rise of the internet, has Black Friday fallen out of favor among holiday shoppers and is Black Friday shopping still worth the hassle?
Putting aside the obvious downsides like long wait times, busy traffic and the occasional fight in the aisle, there are still some benefits of shopping on Black Friday.
The first is that you can still get some great deals. If you do your research ahead of time for some specific items, you could really make out when you take the time to shop at various stores. Exploring store ads and websites will give you a good idea of what items will be on sale and where you can get them.
A benefit to doing your Black Friday shopping in-person is that, if you get there in time, you’ll walk out of the store with the item you wanted. You don’t have to wait until it’s shipped and delivered. Some stores may advertise a “buy online pick up in store” offer, so keep an eye out for these if you want to cut your in-person wait time.
One great thing about Black Friday today is that most offers are now both in-store and online. So, you don’t HAVE to visit the store in person to get a good deal. Internet shopping has truly revolutionized the holiday shopping experience. Many stores have started offering Black Friday deals early, so you can take advantage of the savings days and sometimes even weeks in advance.
You can start exploring deals through online resources like BlackFriday.com and tomsguide.com to get an idea of what kinds of items are for sale and how much they’ll be discounted.
One final notable thing about Black Friday is that some people see it as a social event to kick off the holidays. You can take the time to shop with friends and family, which carries with it a form of personal value. Just make sure you plan out where you’re going and when so you don’t get stuck trying to make decisions on the fly which could take your trip from fun to frustrating. Unless you enjoy the chaos.
As a side note, Black Friday isn’t the only day to score some big deals for your holiday shopping. You may find some on these other days, Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday.
Cyber Monday is beginning to replace Black Friday as one of the busiest shopping days of the year. It occurs the Monday after Thanksgiving and is made entirely of online deals. It’s a super convenient option for many online shoppers with some deals being better than Black Friday. Just keep in mind that items are usually limited so make sure you log on in time and checkout before the deals disappear.
If you’re not a fan of the over-commercialization by large corporations, try taking part in Small Business Saturday. This is on the Saturday following Thanksgiving and is intended to encourage shoppers to support the small businesses around the country who work hard to provide goods and services to their communities. It’s worth checking out.
So, going back to Black Friday, is it worth the hassle?
That’s entirely up to you. If you like the energy and excitement of joining the hustle of Black Friday shopping, then participate. Black Friday carries a lot of traditions and memories for many, so if you’re doing it for the fun, you’ll enjoy yourself regardless.
What makes Black Friday better is that now with the massive ecommerce platforms on the web, you can participate and score some of those great deals without even having to leave your home.
