5 Tips I Learned From My First Black Friday Experience

Thursday night I did something I never thought I’d do. I went shopping at Walmart for Black Friday (Thursday).

I’ve never been a Black Friday shopper. I hate getting up early, I hate the crowds and I never think there’s really anything worth it. However, in my second year working the holiday at Walmart, I decided I needed to see what it was all about. I drug husband with me after our third huge meal of the day, promising it would be fun and we wouldn’t be in there too long. Well, I was right about one thing. We were in there for a pretty long time, mostly due to the checkout line. But, honestly I actually had fun. I can’t say the same for husband, but to me it was exhilarating. I totally understand now the thrill people  get from Black Friday shopping. (The people watching was also prime time.)

I might go again next year, but with my tips below I’ll definitely be more prepared.

{Yes, I even bought Diet Coke on sale. But it was the Taylor Swift DC and it was only $1!!}

1. Go in with a plan. If your shopping includes Walmart, this means using maps for the store. Who knew DVDs would be in the Garden Center and iPads would be in the meat section???

2. Only bring people who are equally as excited as you are to be there. Case in point, photo below. Also bring people who are equally as aggressive as you are. Otherwise, they will get stuck in a sea of carts while you’re 50 feet ahead of them fighting for sheets. (I only wish I had a photo of that.)

3. If you’re not doing a big overhaul of shopping, forego the cart. You’ll get around a lot easier and faster. Also, forego the jacket, it may be 30 degrees outside, but it’s 100 degrees inside.

4. Make friends with the people standing in line next to you. You will be in line for a long time, so you might as well have some people to gripe about the lines with, strategize if you should get in another line and talk about the awesome deals.

5. Most importantly, do not bring kids under the age of 10. (Over the age of 10 is a different story, they might be part of your strategy, but I digress.) I understand sometimes that may be the only option, but is it really worth it to lose your kids in a sea of people or get knocked around by carts? The $98 TVs, the $200 iPads, the $3 DVDs – it sounds worth it, but it’s definitely not.

xo xo

November 30, 2013 | Categories: Holiday | Tags: black friday, Black Friday shopping, black friday tips, shopping, walmart | 1 Comment