Whether it’s sleeping in a shopping center parking lot for Black Friday Holiday Sales or racing other moms for the last hot-ticket toy, just about everyone has their own nightmare holiday shopping story.
Let’s be frank, holiday shopping has the potential to be terrible. You’ve got to brave crowded stores, many of the special gifts you are searching for are overpriced., and every store is playing those same Christmas carols over and over. But that’s not the way your shopping experience has to be.
Try these tips and hacks to shop smarter and have a much happier holiday experience:
1- Set deal alerts at your favorite stores for special gifts
Deal alerts are an especially useful tool for top selling gift ideas. Try using special apps and websites like the platform called Slickdeals.net. Or see if apps from your favorite stores let you get “back in stock” or “lower price” notifications. You can often enter the name of the item I’ve been looking at and go about your business, and the site will inf0orm you when the item is on sale.
This will help during your holidays if you’re looking for cool presents, like a new laptop or a gaming system like PlayStation or Xbox for your loved ones. When you set up deal alerts to get notified of the latest deals you will never miss a Sam’s Club or BestBuy deal again. They also have an app so you can get deals at your fingertips. Many stores, and credit cards may have google browser extensions to let you know the status and may also auto apply coupons for you too.
2- Use free digital tools to help save online
Internet shopping has gradually grown over the last few years. As a result of the pandemic, several outlets expect a steep turnaround, including Sam’s Clubs, which found that 74% of customers will be shopping more online this year. If you’re planning to shop online for a holiday, downloading a free browser extension will help you keep up with your savings. Slickdeals is one of our favorites digital tool with a browser extension that helps in the inputting of coupon codes from Sam’s Clubs and other retailers.
3- If you’re shopping in-store, ALWAYS plan
Knowing when retailers are selling helps you when it comes to matching prices for items you want to purchase. This will help you to come up with a plan on where to shop first. By prioritizing stores where you don’t want to miss one, you’re not going to miss a good deal. Lockdown limitations and social distance steps need to be taken into consideration if you plan to visit the high street on Black Friday.
Go Check out your local stores beforehand and see if there are any early sales on sale or signs that certain products will be reduced more quickly. Preparation helps to prevent impulse purchases that you can regret later. Create a list of the things you plan to purchase and set a budget. If you have particular things in mind, make a note of their daily prices so you don’t get swept up in the excitement of your holidays.
4- Create your sale
If the product you want to purchase is not on sale, try to make your sale by purchasing a discounted gift card from a place like Slickdeals. Right now, for example, Sam’s Club coupons are 8% off. If you buy a discounted card and use it at Sam’s Club, you will automatically save 8% on your order. Last year, when my friend and I were shopping at Sam’s Club to get her back to school supplies, we used this trick, and we saved even more by shopping in store clearance sections.
5- Buy in bulk
It makes a lot of sense to buy some of your holiday groceries in bulk, like buying things that are used a lot in your household, like soup stock, beans, olive oil, detergents, minced garlic, and snacks in bulk. Bulk buying can save you between 20%-40%. I shop at Sam’s Club, where I have a membership which helps even more in reducing the shopping bill due to using Sam’s Club Coupons.
Check out more on shopping and saving in our lifestyle section today!