How to Do Black Friday Like a Pro

Let’s be honest here — we can try to be selfless and put shopping for others first, but we will all end up purchasing items for ourselves on Black Friday. Some of my favorite places to hit when self-shopping include the Bauble Bar website (best jewelry EVA!), Sephora, and Ulta for majorly awesome annual gift packages. I also take this special day to stock up on the basics — jeans, sweaters, underwear, socks, yoga pants, and leggings, because you can really never have enough right? And because TREAT YO-SELF.

Shopping for your man (or guy friend or brother) can be the most challenging, but I think a guy would usually appreciate apparel that shows love for his college team. Stores like Dick’s Sporting Goods or other sporting stores always have huge discounts on Black Friday. Other stores with Black Friday deals and great picks for men include Nordstrom and J.Crew.

As for the ‘rents, you can always count on a couple of things to make them happy: cookware, photographs, and fancy soaps/bathroom products. I’m sure there’s something in your kitchen that has seen better days, maybe the measuring cups or coffee maker. Or maybe there’s something your parents have always wanted but never purchased, like a waffle maker. Check out JCPenney, Bed, Bath, & Beyond, or Williams-Sonoma if you’re feeling extra splurgey. For unique photography products, try Shutterfly, a company that always offer discounts on Black Friday. For elegant bath products, you can’t go wrong with Kiehl’s products for men and women. They always have fantastic sales and gift packages. Your parents will appreciate smelling and feeling like a million bucks.

Now, shopping for the girl-BFF is a tall order. The gift has to be perfect because she deserves nothing less. Look for something totally unique, and perhaps customizable. I recommend Etsy, because many of their vendors have sales for Black Friday, and you’re guaranteed to find something she’ll love. Anything monogrammed, customized jewelry, or wall art for her room at school — she’ll love it all.

Readers, we have to get something straight: I’m all about helping the economy, or really making any excuse to go shopping, but NO ONE should be shopping on turkey day. I mean who wants to miss an all day nom-fest anyways? Not this girl! Please, promise you won’t sacrifice time with friends or family to be waiting in line to purchase something. How badly do you really need those Ugg slippers?

And besides, there’s the “New” Black Friday this year — yes, that’s correct. Big retailers are giving discounts spread out over many days this year, leading up to Black Friday. So if you really want to be prove your shopping skills, then you’ll research and plan accordingly to take advantage of these deals without missing Thanksgiving day.

In case you’re wondering how a real pro does it, here is my strategy for Black Friday shopping: I set my alarm for 8 a.m. on Friday morning, pull my laptop into bed with me, see the online deals (which are always just as good), make some purchases, and then go back to sleep for couple of hours. Then I’ll wake up around 10 a.m. and hit the mall with my brother by noon (leave time for parking). It’s essential to have a partner on a day like this. Together, we divide and conquer. May the shopping gods be ever in our favor.