How To Snag the Best Bargains on Black Friday

Call the store ahead of time and ask how many of the sale items are being stocked. If the product is being offered at a deep discount, it is probably a so-called “doorbuster” that will be sold out soon after the early birds arrive.

Stop by the store on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving and see if you can snag a doorbuster or other great deal. Many special discounts are entered into a store’s computer system after 6 p.m. on the last business day before a big sale.

Buy the newspaper on Thanksgiving Day and on Black Friday. Some sales are not advertised before those dates.

Log on to the retailer’s website before their stores open to see if you can snap up the items you want online.

Compare prices at other retailers before you hand over your credit card; sometimes a Black Friday special is not the great deal it’s pumped up to be. Sites like pricegrabber.com and shopzilla.com let you comparison shop easily.

Bring along any expired store coupons that you have. Retailers are more likely to honor them during the do-or-die holiday season.

Don’t despair if you don’t snare any Black Friday bargains. Stores usually offer a second wave of bargain-basement prices about 10 days before Christmas, especially during a slow sales season.