Be polite, have a plan to survive shopping
(LINDSAY SCHWEHR/Eisenhower High School)
With the insane rush of the holidays quickly approaching comes the desperate need to shop for presents, and what better a time to do the shopping than Black Friday?
Although the day has a bad reputation as being the craziest and busiest shopping day of the year, it is also the greatest time to find the gifts you need at the price you want. It's not impossible to shop with thousands of people at once, but it does take some getting used to, and it helps to know where to go and how to shop smart.
If you're looking to save more money, shop local. The stores have just as good if not better sales than national chain stores. In addition, they aren't nearly as crazily crowded and have a more unique selection of merchandise.
Also take the time to make a list. You should be able to get in, find what you need to buy and buy it. Don't bother getting more than you need and wasting money. If you want to find the best deals, then don't be afraid to ask for help from store employees. They know just about everything there is to know about their store. They know the sales that aren't advertised as well as the others.
The most important rule of shopping on Black Friday (or any big sale day) is to save coupons. Extra discounts are wonderfully relieving to your bank account, but just make sure the coupons are still valid before you get to the checkout line.
Another tip that will save tons of money is double checking every price before you hit the checkout line. It's always annoying when you get to the register and the thing you wanted to buy is five times more expensive than you thought it was. Checking the prices before you buy will allow you to see what you're paying for and could save you tons of money.
Another important aspect of Black Friday is time. Black Friday is only one day, giving you a full 24 hours to shop till you drop. To save time in the store, pre-shop at the stores you plan to go to a few days before Black Friday. This will give a chance to plan out a shopping schedule, make a list and save time in store on the big day.
Alternatively, go online to see what's in store. Pre-shopping will also give you a good idea of what will be on sale and how much money you'll be spending.
After you've pre-shopped, make a plan. Choose the stores you want to go to first and go to them in an order that will make sense. If one store is having a sale from 5 to 7 a.m., you're going to want to go there before you go to a store that has a sale from 6 to 8 a.m.
In all the craziness of the biggest shopping day of the year, keeping your cool will get you much further than panicking will. Always stay calm. It will help you find what you need quickly and efficiently. Going pyscho and running around like a madman and pulling a Taser on other shoppers is a fast ticket to get thrown out of the store. A good way to keep calm is to go shopping alone. If you bring a hoard of other people to 'help' you shop, it could just result in lost time trying to keep track of everyone in the store. Going alone also means you can shop for everyone on your gift list without having them catch you.
The final tip for the big day is to remember your manners. This is more of just a common courtesy thing than a legitimate tip. Even though you only have one day to find what you need at a halfway decent cost and the stress is literally crushing you from the inside, you still have the ability to use your P's and Q's. Say thank you to cashiers who ring up your purchases and the employees who find the gift you thought was out of stock. Say 'excuse me' to other shoppers instead of barreling by them. Just be polite.
These tips will help you most in the store and you'll be the shopping queen, but do not under any circumstances let Black Friday ruin your Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving and Black Friday are two separate days. One is on a Thursday, one is on a Friday. You have 24 hours to honor both days. I feel there is nothing more disrespectful and awkward than running out of a holiday family dinner early to shop for the next holiday.
Hopefully you've gained some helpful tips and now know how to be the best Black Friday shopper who ever lived. Best of luck on the big day, and Happy Thanksgiving.
* Hannah McFadden is a sophomore at Eisenhower High School and a member of Yakima Herald-Republic's Unleashed journalism program for high school students.
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