Your Black Friday survival guide: 2021
Many stores won't be open on Thanksgiving, but online shopping can give you a leg up to seasonal savings
After feasting on turkey and trimmings, shoppers traditionally flock to stores and malls on Black Friday to gobble up the best deals of not only the holiday season, but the entire year.
Last year, the pandemic changed the way we shopped on Black Friday, with more Americans shopping online than ever before. This year, as we continue to contend with the COVID-19 fallout, a lot of retailers moved Black Friday to earlier this month to stretch the pinnacle shopper’s holiday, soften crowds and boost sales, and counter some of this year’s challenges, like supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and shipping delays.
Even though Black Friday may no longer represent a singular day of epic sales, there’s still a dizzying array of deals to look forward to in the coming days. The key to seizing the most coveted Black Friday buys is preparation.
Heed these tips to plan your Black Friday adventure, score the best deals and save money along the way.
Grab a copy of the Times Union’s Thanksgiving paper a day early: Pre-order the Thanksgiving Day edition of the Times Union — our biggest paper of the year — and you can pick it up between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Times Union building, 645 Albany Shaker Road, Colonie. The hefty paper will be packed with dozens of Black Friday ads, giving you plenty of time to pore over the deals and plot your shopping strategy. In addition to the ads, you’ll get the Savings Source magazine, a holiday gift guide, a puzzle and recipe book, Good Housekeeping’s Holiday Magic magazine. Plus, while supplies last, you’ll receive the 2022 Save Around Coupon Book, usually for sale at $25. Visit timesunion.com/thanksgiving to order. You can also pick up the paper, save the coupon
book, at stores throughout the Capital Region, including Price Chopper/Market 32, Hannaford and Stewart’s Shops on Wednesday.
Download all of the major store apps: Over the past few years, retailers have been adding more and more incentives for shoppers to download their apps. While the best deals are probably also going to be available to non-app users, it makes sense to have access to every single deal. There are also a number of independent apps that showcase coupons and online promotional codes, and help you monitor your budget,
manage wish lists and compare prices. A few of the most popular include ShopSavvy, Shopular, Flip and RetailMeNot.
Consider gift cards and store cash:
Some retailers will offer gift cards instead of direct discounts. Kohl’s is doling out $15 in Kohl’s Cash for every $50 spent. When combining this with their sales, the net discount increases dramatically. Target also always features an assortment of gift card deals. When factored into the final sale price, the savings will rival the competition.
Get online ready: Walmart,
Best Buy, Target, Kohl’s and all of the other large stores are going to have a ton of online doorbusters, so it is essential to be prepared. Set up an account at each store with current information in advance and familiarize yourself with the site. Time will be of the essence. Also, be sure to link to your favorite retailers’ websites via a cash-back portal like Rakuten.com, TopCashBack.com or RetailMeNot.com. There you’ll earn back a percentage of the money you spend.
Shop the best stores: To help consumers maximize