The hype around Black Friday, and the occasional good deal, has consumers all excited and ready to spend. But buying up “deals” on Black Friday may cost you more than you realise.
Remember the marketing strategy is to make you buy stuff you weren’t really planning to buy, so you need to go in with your own strategy to make sure Black Friday works for you instead of for the retailer or your credit card provider.Do your research. Find out whether the offer is really that great. Some retailers hike prices before Black Friday to make it look as if the “discount” price is a better deal than it actually is.
This is a good opportunity to buy Christmas gifts, but again – have a list. Write down the people you want to buy gifts for as well as how much you want to spend on each person, and stick to it. If you are shopping online, leave the item in the cart for a while. Go back and think about whether this is something you really need to buy. In this way, you are moving yourself out of the “hot” state we get trapped in with the hype, and you can come back later with a more rational view.