Most online Black Friday deals will be available on or before Thanksgiving Day. Many of Friday’s discounts will remain available through the weekend before they extend into deals advertised as part of Cyber Monday, By the time online Cyber Monday sales go live, the marketing frenzy will grow into one big Deals Week. Here are tips for smart shoppers who want to beat the marketing madness and score the deepest discounts.
Don’t jump on deals as soon as you see them.
Last year retailers posted almost as many deals on Thursday as they did on Friday. On Monday, retailers repeated many of the same deals they offered over Thursday and Friday. If you wait and keep an eye on your target, you may still score on Monday the deal you pass up today. Just watch stock levels so that your item doesn’t sell out before you make your move.
Find money-saving tools for your smart phone or computer.
Before you click that “buy” button, InvisibleHand will discreetly let you know if there’s a lower price available online at another retailer. It’s available for Google’s Chrome, Mozilla’s Firefox and Apple’s Safari web browsers. InvisibleHand price-matching also goes mobile with an iPhone app.
Today’s technology can help make sure your bargain is actually a bargain. Follow price changes on Amazon with CamelCamelCamel. This tool can stop you from jumping on a discount that’s only a little less than a price the retailer previously marked up. This is available for Google’s Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox web browsers.
Save a little cash before you check out online with browser extension Honey. This tool won’t check your price against others and it won’t search for discounts. Honey goes on a web search looking for coupon codes that will save you money on the goodies in your online cart.
You should know before you use these tools that they work by requiring a lot of information about what you’re buying and where you’re shopping. Many get a cut of the money you spend when you order from an online retailer. Decide how you feel about that before you use them.
Use patience as an online shopping strategy.
Load up a cart, and wait a bit before you buy. Many retailers will email you a coupon code or free shipping to persuade you to complete the purchase. Remember that it never hurts to ask. If they don’t seek you out, ask for a coupon code via the retailer’s live chat. You may just land more savings before you check out.
Read More: How to Shop Smart on Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) and check out these sites: CamelCamelCamel, InvisibleHand and Honey.
