Black Friday is just around the corner: the date is November 25th! Over the years, the event has gained enormous popularity in the country and has become a great opportunity to do your shopping before the holidays. Precisely for this reason, it is very important to be aware and take some precautions to save money.
Tips to save money on Black Friday
Since its implementation in 2010, there are records of physical and virtual stores that held the event. However, 2020 and 2021 were two very atypical years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in addition to the high dollar and inflation.
This made many end up choosing to make their purchases mostly through e-commerce platforms. Therefore, a serious problem that consumers can face is that some stores end up acting in bad faith, increasing the price of products weeks, or even months before Black Friday, and lowering them on the day, claiming non-existent discounts.
That's why, at this time of year, you should be very careful when making online purchases, to avoid being harmed and not falling for scams. With that in mind, we have separated a list of 10 tips for you not only to save money, but to avoid losing money on Black Friday; check it out below!
1. Make a list
Many stores join the Black Friday event, and with that, many promotions can seem very tempting. However, it is very important that you keep in mind exactly all the products you need to buy, as well as their respective priorities.
If possible, list similar products as a second option in case the first one runs out. Making a list can help you stay focused when researching and finalizing your purchases, as well as avoiding unwanted surprises along the way.
2. Set a spending goal
Promotions are tempting, but it's always good not to let things get out of hand. Knowing the products you want to buy and what the priorities are with the list, you can start probing the current price of each one of them, to find out if they will fit your budget.
If possible, keep this prior research as your spending cap and always choose to spend less than expected. However, if there is an opportunity to have an extra expense, consider the need to buy the product in question, and how much this expense will impact your accounts.
3. Compare prices a lot
In order not to fall into false discounts, it is interesting that you start doing research as soon as possible and start comparing prices. It is possible to do this using price comparators, such as the Google Chrome extension or sites such as Pricegrabber and BuyVia.
So you can check if there was a sudden increase in price followed by a drop in Black Friday week. And stay tuned, some stores like Walmart have expanded the same discount that would be applied on the 25th to the entire month of November, with Black Friday Deals.
4. Don't forget about cashback
Many online stores started to offer a great attraction for consumers: cashback — or cash back. With it, you can receive a percentage of what you spent on a product to use in future purchases or even turn it into your account balance. In the country, you can get cashback on Amazon, Walmart, Amazon Pay and others.
5. Don't forget about shipping
See a product with a great discount and a price that fits your budget? Before finalizing the purchase, calculate the shipping cost. There are cases in which products offered on websites may not necessarily be sold or delivered by the stores themselves, but by third parties.
Sometimes, the distribution center or the seller's location can be very far from your home, which makes shipping very expensive. So don't forget about shipping and always include it in your calculations.
6. Beware of very cheap products
The Black Friday season is full of virtual scams, fake stores with discounts that are almost impossible to apply in reality. For this, it is essential that, before making a purchase in a store that you have never visited before, check its reputation.
To do this, check reviews, official website, business contact, social handlers and references from authentic sources, to find out if the store has a good reputation and if it responds to customer complaints. If the reputation is reliable and you still had a problem, try to solve it, if not, open a complaint with Consumer courts.
7. Use discount coupons
Another tip for those looking to save on Black Friday is to check out discount coupon sites. Some pages offer codes that can be applied at the time of purchase, which will give some discount rate. These discounts can cover extra expenses such as shipping, for example. You can find excellent coupons at Swagbucks, BeFrugal, Groupon, Amazon coupons, RetailMeNot among others.
8. Pay attention to social networks
A good practice to access store offers is to follow store profiles on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter weeks in advance of Black Friday. That way, you can find out about promotions that sometimes have a short expiration date, or won't necessarily happen on the 25th.
9. Look for exchanges and returns policies
No one would like to return a product purchased on Black Friday, however, unforeseen circumstances happen, and it may be necessary to return or exchange it. In addition to researching a store's reputation, research their return and exchange policies.
Exchanges and returns are provided for in the Consumer Defense Code (CDC), however, not every type of exchange is guaranteed by law. There are cases where replacement is a courtesy of the store, so keep an eye out for this aspect.
10. Avoid acting on impulse
To hit the hammer on a purchase, you need to be very cold-blooded and avoid acting on impulse, because cheap can really be expensive. After making a list, setting a spending cap, comparing prices, considering cashback, shipping, discount coupons and flash deals, it's time to assess the right time to buy. Once this is done, you will have a better view of the scenario and will be able to complete a purchase knowing that you are getting a good deal.
From now on, you can use these tips to protect yourself and save money on Black Friday 2022.
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