Shopping is my sport....
I believe it totally counts as cardio.
I practically grew up at the Mall. My mom was the manager of a JCPenney store so my friends and I would beg my dad to drop us off at the mall on weekends, where we would stay utill my mom closed down the store and brought us home.
So given this brief history, it should come as no surprise that I love Back Friday....the Super-Bowl of Shopping. My proudest Black Friday moment came a few years ago while working as Business Reporter in Cape Girardeau, when I took to Twitter in the wee hours of the morning to post updates on crowds, lines and bargains all over town. I interviewed people bunded up like Eskimos who completely gave up Thanksgiving dinner to be first in line for a 60 inch TV. To me, the people I met were always the most interesting part.
In the years since, Black Friday starts have been creeping up earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving itself. While I don't stay up all night with the shoppers anymore, I do have a few tips for planning a successful Black Friday Shopping Strategy:
Stay Connected: Social media is a great way to find out what's going to be on sale at your favorite stores. Most stores have links to their social media pages, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Vine on their official websites. Marshalls, T.J.Maxx and HomeGoods hosted a Twitter video contest. This year, stores are even more likely to unveil Black Friday deals, contests and even ads. Last year, for example, Best Buy asked its Twitter followers to create videos of their experience in line at the electronics retailer. Shoppers sent in Vine videos using the hashtag #VineInLine, and the best ones earned a retweet. Searching #BlackFriday or #BlackFridayDeals should produce lots of results in the next couple weeks.
Map Your Route: Visit the stores you plan to go to a few days ahead of time, so you'll know where to find the deeply discounted items you want, saving you time.
Divide and Conquer: Bring along some buddies and compare your lists, you can split up to make it to more stores and get everything that everyone needs.
Be Prepared: Pack your own "Black Friday Survival Kit," with anything you need to keep you going. Include snacks and a bottle of water. Personally I like to bring an heavily caffeinated beverage, some sugary candy, and protein bars to keep my energy up while waiting in those long line.
Have Fun: Don't take it too seriously.....if you don't get that deal you wanted.....there's always CyberMonday!
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