Video Transcript
Cody: Friday deals are mostly online, so where do you even start looking? Julissa who’s with Ryan from Nerds On Call, trying to figure it all out.
Julissa: Yes, we’re allowing you to shop from the comfort of your couch, in your pajamas. You’re welcome, you’re welcome.
Ryan: And wear your pajamas, people. Sometimes those cameras turn on by accident. Come on. I mean, let’s go.
Julissa: I mean, right? Now, Cody mentioned that a lot of the deals were online. And you were just telling me that 70% of the deals you can find that are at the store, you can find online.
Ryan: Yeah, except for the doorbusters. I mean, those you’re not going to be able to get. But come on, you’re not going to get those anyway. Nobody wakes up at 4 in the morning to go to Kohl’s, okay. God.
Julissa: You never know.
Ryan: And those people deserve a freaking TV for 50 bucks, for goodness sakes. Okay, so we’re going to start here. This is dealnews. com. We love this place. Go to the editor’s choice part of the website and you can see all of these really cool deals, from computers to electronics, to, you know, whatever this is. I don’t know. So here’s the one that we found that was pretty cool. This is the ring doorbell.
Julissa: Yes, I love this.
Ryan: And this is going to be on sale everywhere for about 140 bucks, but these guys pick out, like, the special deals.
Julissa: Special deals, okay.
Ryan: This one is not only giving you shipping for this 140 bucks, but they’re also giving you an Amazon Echo…
Julissa: Oh.
Ryan: … which is pretty cool, right? Totally free.
Julissa: That is, because that’s, like, another gift. So this is… So where is this from?
Ryan: This is at Best Buy, and then you can literally click right there and go buy it right from Best Buy. Boom, you’re done.
Julissa: Right then and there?
Ryan: Yeah, wearing your jamas. That’s all you gotta do. How cool is that? Shut the front door. That is such a great deal. I knew I was gonna surprise you with that one. Okay so, you can also take a look at all the ads here. This is blackfriday.com. You can check out all the ads. You can kind of peruse what you wanna do. So if you’re actually wanting to go outside, you can do it. But really, most of these deals are gonna be online.
Julissa: It’s so much warmer inside. Yeah, okay.
Ryan: Also you want to know whether to buy it on Thanksgiving versus Black Friday versus Cyber Monday. When do you buy and what do you buy? They’ve got this really cool thing that broke it all down. Thanksgiving, these are the kinds of things you wanna buy. Shoes, that’s one of my things right there. Black Friday, you get your kitchen, your toys, your laptops and so on. And Cyber Monday, TVs and travel. But here’s something to remember. Is that Super Bowl, the week of Super Bowl is the best time to buy a TV…
Julissa: To buy a TV set. That’s right, we keep talking about that.
Ryan: …so, if you wanna get a really good deal. But doorbusters, you know, you’re still not gonna get them here.
Julissa: Okay, lastly, okay.
Ryan: These are 10 things not to buy on Black Friday. Jewelry is one of them. Furniture is another. Who buys furniture on Black Friday? What are you guys doing?
Julissa: You might need a chair. I don’t know.
Ryan: And of course, if you are gonna go shopping anywhere, whether it’s online, use RetailMeNot. I mean, it’s just the greatest thing in the world. It’s gonna give you coupon codes. It’s gonna give you good deals, and you earn little points and stuff. It’s, like, a little game. It’s ridiculous.
Julissa: It is kind of a game. I like to see how much lower my coupon will take me. I love that. All right, Ryan, thank you so much.
Ryan: You’re welcome.
Julissa: You are on to some good information as you head into the shopping frenzy these next couple of days. You can stick around with this next hour. We got some other fun stuff to talk about. All right, back over to you.
Marianne: All right. Thank you.
Cody: Well, somebody’s had a little sugar this morning. Wow.
Julissa: Lots of coffee. [inaudible 00:03:04].
Marianne: More graphics, more graphics in the middle of them.
Julissa:: Shut the front door.
Marianne: More little… Shut the front door. More little surprises. I love that. I love that. Now… 7:51, running out of ideas of what to…
Black Friday is one of those days a lot of folks equally love and hate. On the good side, it’s a day where, with just a bit of luck and planning, you can land a truly frabjous deal. On the less good side, a horde of screaming, orcish consumers who will stampede you if you get within 10 feet of a product marked “50% off.”
This is where Internet shopping comes in. From the comfort of your own home (and jammies), you can access all the sweet deals while avoiding those wallet-waving orcs.
Here are a few nerd-enriched tips for getting some great Black Friday deals online.
Plan Ahead
Like any kind of shopping, you’re going to get a lot more bang for your buck if you know what you want in advance, and have done your research.
Just because an ad has a big comic sans “AMAZING SALE” scrawled across it with one of those red, jagged excitement bubbles, doesn’t actually mean it’s a good deal.
Caption: Attractive couple caught in a candid moment of happiness while purchasing a half-price exercise wheel for their pet ferret, Donald
If you’re not sure where to begin, take a look at Dealnews’ Editors Choice board. They have an impressive knack of finding really good deals.
For example, check out their hot tip for the Ring Video Doorbell. Best Buy is offering this product for $139.99—which, by the way, is already a good price—BUT, they’re also throwing in a third generation Echo Dot to sweeten the deal. Oh. And free shipping. Bam!
Check the Ads
Don’t be afraid of getting a bit old school in your quest to find a gobsmacking deal. Leave no stone unturned.
Caption: Bargain-savvy dog consumer searching for sweet deals in Dandy Dog Digest
You know those annoying papery things which appear in your mailbox? I think the kids call them “brochures.” Check ‘em out! For most of the year they’re typically just a heinous waste of trees, but around Black Friday, they may contain useful leads to guide you in your quest.
You might also like to saunter over to Blackfriday.com and peruse their deals. So long as an ad isn’t tagged “doorbuster,” there’s a great chance you can snaffle it up online.
Know When to Score the Best Deals
So much in life isn’t just a matter of where but also when. These days, the big retailers don’t just set a price on a product and leave it. That price is going to change constantly in the lead up to the big day, and even beyond.
Caption: Stock image of an informed (yet slightly moody) consumer wisely choosing not to purchase a new polo neck sweater on Black Friday.
Check out this article by Dealnews. It gives you a good rundown of how you can expect prices to fluctuate between Black Friday and Thanksgiving. You should probably also get up to speed on things you should actively avoid buying around Black Friday. Check this out.
Oh and here’s a pro tip for ya: contrary to the Black Friday hype, Thanksgiving is typically a better time to buy smartphones, speakers, tablets, and headphones.
Focus on Brands With an Established E-commerce Presence
While supporting small business is great, if you’re looking for the best Black Friday deals you’re almost certainly going to get better bang for your buck with big brands, especially those with an established e-commerce presence.
We’re talking all the usual suspects: Walmart, Best Buy, Kohls, Target and Home Depot.
These companies build their business models around online ordering, so they’re more likely to aggressively pursue loss-leading sales and highly competitive bargains.
And (you probably already knew this anyway) don’t forget Amazon! Amazon is masters of the lightning deal, and its gigantic world-encompassing hive brain means it’ll probably know exactly what you want better than anyone. Yay!
Caption: Actual footage of Amazon’s hive brain, (which looks surprisingly similar to a novelty plasma ball executive desk accessory)
Make Sure You Double Up With Coupons
Ah, coupons. Where would we be without them? These magical express tokens to Bargain Town can be your best friend on Black Friday.
While you’ll likely encounter them all over the place, you can make your life a lot easier by visiting an online coupon consolidator like Retailmenot.com. This site provides a handy means of trawling a huge variety of coupon options.
Some of these coupons will even apply on top of a marked down price. That’s some next-level saving potential right there!
You know what they say: Black Friday cometh but once a year. Our advice is, don’t squander it running around your local mall like an extra in a brutal Director’s Cut version of The Hunger Games. Just grab a coffee, fire up your Internet and find that sweet deal in style.
