How you can use tech to score the best deals
Bargain hunters use online tools to wade through all the sales and decipher the best offers
With Canadian retailers trying to keep people shopping on this side of the border on Black Friday, the best deal might come from the soft warm glow of your computer, tablet or phone screen.
Even if you’re out and about, there are plenty of ways to use technology to make sure you are actually getting a deal. Do your research Most of the big retailers already have their flyers out, and plenty of sites are compiling them so you can decide if it’s worth heading out or just clicking away at home. Flipp is an app that collects all your local flyers and lets you search them. Redflagdeals.com also has a Black Friday section, but its forums are one place that hardcore deal hunters share their tips year round. Comparison shop The first rule is to know the regular price of what you are looking for. Some places advertise huge deals that really aren’t that much off normal prices, but they hope you get caught up in a deal-hunting frenzy.
Comparison shopping can save you. There are plenty of bar-code scanner apps, like Shopsavvy, that should be your go-to tool of choice before you pull the trigger, as you may be able to get a deal down the way. There are a number of price-comparison sites, including Google Shopping, which can give you a comparative base to start from. Start early As Black Friday now extends to Cyber Monday, some sales have already begun, like at Best Buy. For the most part, inperson and online, the early bird gets the deal.
Online offerings tend to start at the stroke of midnight and some e-tailers let you add to your cart beforehand, so you can start adding items now. Mall hours are also available on many sites, so it’s worth checking if your favourite retailer is opening up early.
Although it’s not a holiday here, so don’t you have to work? Check your information If you are using an online retailer like Amazon.ca, it’s best to take some time and sign up or confirm that the online service has your preferred credit card and shipping address.
If something scarce goes on sale, the time it takes to set all that up matters.
If you haven’t shopped online a lot, you should definitely check out cashback sites like Ebates.com, which reward users for shopping online from participating stores. Too good to be true? If you are zipping around online, always double-check what the currency is quoted in.
This is a trap that many Canadians fall into as they look for deals here and in the U.S.
Also, there is a lot of older stock getting moved or used as door crashers, so if you see an unbelievable deal, confirm it is exactly what you wanted and double-check to see if the product is refurbished or new. Set up separate email If you haven’t already, set up a secondary account for receipts and promotional emails.
It will save you from having to clean up some spam later from a more regularly used address. Watch the shipping For most retailers in Canada, shipping shouldn’t be too egregious, but if you are buying from the U.S. or elsewhere, always double-check the shipping options and whether it might get hit by additional duty fees.
Keep an eye out for changes: recently retailers like Walmart and Amazon have raised their free shipping thresholds.
If the item is available in Canada, this might be why it’s worth it to buy here. And if there happens to be an issue, it can be prohibitively expensive to return something to the U.S. Use it as warm-up Use Black Friday as practice for the real main event — at least in Canada — where the biggest shopping day is still Boxing Day.