You wouldn’t want to miss out on the best Black Friday deals because of work, would you?
Photo credit: master1305
Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping days of the year. This makes it the best time to catch great deals for anything you’ve been wanting to get all year. With the rising rates of online shopping over the last two years, that means stores and brands are offering amazing deals on their products both in-stores and online. That could also translate to a higher demand for products, longer delivery times, and even product shortages.
If you want the best Black Friday offers when looking for your holiday gifts, you need to know the best time to start shopping. You may opt to start shopping early to get what you want or wait till Black Friday to get the best offers. This could mean taking advantage of some of your time at work to shop on the clock so that you don’t miss any good Black Friday deals.
Shopping online while you’re at work can be a tricky endeavor, especially if it ends up affecting your core tasks. But on the other hand, you don’t want to miss out on all the Black Friday offers out there when you’re spending most of your time at work. So is there a way to do your Black Friday shopping without provoking your boss’ wrath? Yes, there is.
Use your personal devices
When shopping online at work, it is better to use your personal devices as opposed to your workplace computer. You may come across malicious websites that can harm your workplace’s network security and you’ll have a hard time explaining to your boss how that happened. Using your own devices will also help you quickly scroll through deals and online stores more conveniently while maximizing your shopping time.
In the same breath, it is also better to do your Black Friday shopping in private mode on your browser with the cookies disabled. This prevents retailers from using cookies to track your interests or shopping behaviors to customize deals for you, which may help you get even lower offers. Disabling cookies in your browser also helps you hide your online identity so you can find better deals.
Have a Black Friday budget and shopping list
Set aside a budget and a shopping list that you’ll stick to when making your purchases. Most Black Friday sales are designed to get people excited enough to overspend on things they don’t even need. You can easily find yourself impulse buying items just because the deal is too good to be true.
When you have a pre-determined budget in mind with a comprehensive shopping list of items from specific retailers, you’ll be less likely to overspend on useless purchases. Having a list also helps you avoid falling into a rabbit hole during the 20 minutes you've allocated yourself for shopping at work.
Plan where you want to shop
As you prepare your Black Friday shopping list and budget, make sure you have an idea of the retailers you want to shop with. This will help you take advantage of their deals as you shop. Make sure they are open and are offering deals first so you can assess whether you need to switch stores or retailers.
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Shop early in the morning before work
This may sound less than ideal for those who like to spend extra time under the covers in the morning, but it is actually the most productive time of the day. You can get all your shopping out of the way so you can focus at work without any distractions.
Alternatively, you can come to work earlier and set a shopping time limit for yourself. During that period, block out any possible distractions and focus on finding the best offers possible. Mute your smartphone and email notifications and cover as much of your shopping list as you can before work.
Use retailers’ apps social media pages, and websites to check for deals
Most retailers will offer better promotions, delivery, and pick-up deals online than in stores. Check your favorite retailers’ websites, apps, or social media pages for Black Friday deals. It will probably save you more time and money than if you were to shop at their physical location on your lunch break.
And don’t just wait until you are right in the middle of Black Friday to check online for deals, do it right before the time comes. Some stores and retailers will advertise their deals before so if you catch the news beforehand it allows you to get your ducks in a row. You may also be lucky enough to land a special prize, offer, or discount through their social media pages, so turn on post notifications for specific stores and retailers.
This is the time to make use of your bookmarks if you haven’t yet. Organize your retail bookmarks by renaming them with specific titles like “Best kitchenware offers” and saving them in one place.
Sign up for retail newsletters
If you’re looking for a low-maintenance way to keep up with offer updates, you can also register for email newsletters from your favorite retailers and brands. Just make sure you use a different address from your work email to avoid cluttering your inbox. Check your newsletters right before Black Friday so you can get the information right from the source. Who knows? You might even catch a deal or two as you're checking your emails with your morning coffee.
Shop for deals with a friend
If you are overwhelmed with holiday shopping and your work to-do list, you may need to outsource. How? Ask a friend or a loved one to help you look for deals on certain items as you look for offers on something else. This “divide and conquer” strategy might be more effective for sourcing the best deals since you will have an extra pair of eyes on the job. Plus, it will make shopping more fun for everyone involved!
As you’re doing your holiday shopping at work just remember that the stakes don’t have to be as high as you’ve set them. Shopping is meant to be fun and not a stressful affair. Chances are, if you miss one good deal this year, you may get a better one when Black Friday comes back around next year.
