10 things to know about Black Friday
10 Things Stores Won't Say About Black Friday - SmartMoney.com:
- Crowds this year will be much larger than last year, based on surveys.
- Unless you're willing to surrender celebrating Thanksgiving entirely so you can wait in line from early that morning, you will miss the best sale prices that begin that evening or at "midnight madness."
- Black Friday sales actually have already started, and if you haven't been shopping already, you've missed many of the special prices.
- You can get as good or better prices staying home and shopping online.
- Some other shoppers will kill you to get the item they want - literally.
- Some stores require you to surrender personal information such as an email address to get special prices.
- Best-quality merchandise is not on sale.The sales are oriented toward people whose only object is a low sale price, so only cheap stuff is marked down. Buy cheap, get cheap.
- The sales are marketed to women. Four times as many women respond to Black Friday advertising than men. Most of the things that women on Black Friday will definitely be cheaper three weeks later.
- Stores push customers to take out a store charge account in exchange for an at-register, additional discount. Don't do it, sucker.
- Each store wants you to stay there all day. So they pace their sale prices all the day long. So sure, go to that big-box store at 4 a.m. to be early for the Magic Gottahavit advertised at 75 percent off. What you don't know is that tjhe price will not take effect until noon.
