Whether you love it or hate it, Black Friday is one of the most hectic and overwhelming shopping days of the year. Before I worked as a sales associate at Pacsun, I would walk into a store like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to find a deal. After working Black Friday and gaining some inside knowledge, I now know how to find the best deals with the least stress.
Check out these life-saving tips below:
1. Don't stick to clothes for your gender.
While working at PacSun on Black Friday, I would stand at the front of the store and tell everyone the deals as they were walking in. Both women and men had sales going on for flannels, and the guy's deal was significantly better. A lot of the girls coming in would look over at the guy's flannels with the better deal and say, "dang it, I wish the girls' flannels were that cheap."
GIRL.
Go get yourself a super cute oversized flannel for a better price. There were also times when the girls' side had a better deal on hats, but guys wouldn't venture over to check it out. You are missing so many awesome deals by keeping your mind closed about what you can wear. Go explore a little bit. You'll probably find stuff that you like for a better price.
2. Come in with a game plan.
Before you go shopping on Black Friday, come up with a plan of what your shopping is going to look like. If you go in knowing where you are going and what you want to get, it will be so much less stressful. You can find where everything is ahead of time so that you won't be wandering through the store or scrambling to find an employee to help you.
3. Already know your sizes.
Once you create your game plan, and you know where you are going and what you are going to get, make sure that you know your sizes. If you are buying clothes for you, go in and try them on two days before Black Friday. Then you won't have to wait in a crazy long line to try on clothes and have your friends running to grab other sizes for you.
If you are buying clothes for your family, ask everyone the day before for their sizes and write them in your phone. Then you won't have to text your family and ask them for their sizes while you are waiting in the store. If you already know the sizes you need, you can save so much time and stress by being able to grab them and go.
4. Be nice to the employees.
Retail employees that are working Black Friday probably are on a very long shift and have been treated poorly all day. If you are nice to the retail workers and treat them like human beings, when you ask questions, they will be so much more willing and excited to help you. Every employee knows where everything is, and what all of the deals in the store are. If you are nice to them, the odds of you getting the inside scoop are a lot more likely.
5. Don't shop on Black Friday.
Black Friday is pretty fun and there are quite a few good deals, but if you wait a little bit, you could save even more money. After Black Friday, stores often are trying to get rid of clothes before Christmas, because after Christmas, a new shipment of clothes for the new year will be coming in.
So if you wait a few weeks after Black Friday is over, the deals are often even better. In 2017 I went to LOFT to find a skirt before Christmas. The entire store was on sale, and I got a brand new pencil skirt from LOFT for $4. So the next time you are rushing to the store the day after Thanksgiving, maybe decorate for Christmas instead and get a better deal in a couple weeks.
