We've never been big Black Friday shoppers but we will be shopping over the weekend. And by BIG I mean we don't go to a whole lot of stores and every shopping trip we make is in daylight. We do most of our Black Friday shopping online where you can often get the same deals as in store but get to be in yoga pants and warm. We've done the wait in line once, back when Target opened at Midnight still. I think we were trying to get a PlayStation 3. My husband waited in line at Game Stop, my sister and I waited at Target. It was actually a lot of fun and pretty cold but fun. We did get the PS3 and it is still the DVD/blu-ray player we use today. But that is the only time we have ever been at a store when they opened for Black Friday shopping (this is OBVIOUSLY pre-kids).
The last couple years I've gotten to do a solo Black Friday shopping trip to Target which is my favorite Target shopping trip of the year. Did you see the SOLO. That is crucial. It's likely the only time I get to go to Target alone all year and get to do some browsing and just soaking up the holiday good cheer. I actually only go in Target store about once a month anymore and that's usually just to get waffles (Sam LOVES a toaster waffle and we LOVE having a breakfast he will consistently eat). I'm a huge fan of the Target drive-up orders.
Anyways. I've looked at the Target Black Friday ad but I was really only looking for one thing. The "spend $50 on Black Friday and get a 20% off coupon for a future trip (between certain dates)"
They've been doing this for at least 6 years and it is my favorite and, in my opinion, the BEST Target Black Friday deal. I go to Target on Black Friday (which I am going to do anyways). I spend $50 (which I can easily do - last year I bought liquid bandaid and food for a family gathering and diapers). Then get a 20% off coupon.
The two years (including last year) we've had babies on formula, I've used that 20% off trip to buy all the rest of the formula the boys would need until they turned 1. If you've had experience buying formula you know what a huge money saver that can be! (Unless you over estimate how much formula you'll need and a year later you are gifting a canister to your baby nephew. Not that I am speaking from experience...but I am.)
But even the years we haven't had a baby on formula, I've gotten plenty of savings out of this deal, savings more than the $50 I had to spend (on things I needed anyways) to get it.
I use the 20% to generally finish up my Christmas shopping with stocking stuffers, teacher presents, and other things on my list I hold for this. I also use it to stock up on all sorts of household items that rarely go on sale (at least rarely 20% off) - dish soap, hand soap, tissues, dark chocolate chips, my favorite tea, hot cider mix, Sam's beloved waffles, canned soup (I really do love some canned soup, great lunch in a pinch), travel packs of baby wipes, parchment paper, body wash for all, etc. I rarely manage to buy enough of these items to last the whole year but it gives me a decent start for at least a couple months, especially on items we use a lot of, like tissues and hand soap.
Bonus, I can place a $50 online order on Black Friday, a $50 in store purchase, and get TWO 20% coupons that I can't stack, but that I can use for two different shopping trips. It's always handy to have a back-up! Or to best stack the 20% off on whatever Target has on sale that week.
(There are all sorts of things that are excluded from the 20% off but the only one that I really mind is Legos. Why do Legos so rarely go on sale???)
I don't love a lot of things about Black Friday - the materialism and how it's slowly taking over Thanksgiving. We are rarely in it for the BIG deals (although, we are looking at iPhone deals this year because ours are 4 years old and the battery life is basically non-existent but they are also completely paid off and I hate giving up the cheap cell phone bill BUT...not charging my phone multiple times a day would also be nice). BUT, buying things I am going to be buying anyways in order to a coupon to buy more things I am going to be buying anyways but at a discount, is exactly what I am looking for out of my Black Friday shopping.
That, and my solo shopping trip where nobody will beg me to look at the Legos (but I will probably look at them anyways) and nobody will decide in the back of the store that they need to go to the bathroom and nobody will need a diaper change, I won't have to nag anyone to keep up or stay awake or stay out of my purse, and I can browse the Christmas decorations to my hearts content! It is my favorite Target shopping trip of the year, and not just because I am saving money.
Are you a Black Friday shopper? Where do you shop? Do you dream of solo shopping trips too?
No comments:
Post a Comment