After finishing up our Thanksgiving meal, I head out to Walmart to hit the Early Bird Black Friday sale, or Thanksgiving sale. It’s a bit scary. It’s a bit of a rush. It’s a holiday MUST. Not only does it save our family money to shop these sales, it’s a tradition. Here’s my 7 steps to make your Walmart Black Friday shopping as easy and fun as possible.
1. Prepare A Shopping List
Before you even get in your car, you need to have a plan. Walmart on Black Friday is not the best time to be browsing. If fact it could be dangerous to do so. Both from a personal stand point, and a financial one. You need to know what you are shopping for. Which items are on your list. Then the moment you step into the store, you know what you’re there for, and you won’t get caught up in the moment and start tossing items in your cart willy nilly.
2. Set Your Budget
How much are you going to be spending?
I highly recommend you study the sales ad to not only pinpoint what you’re shopping for, but also to add up how much everything costs. This way you’ll be mentally prepared at checkout for the grand total and won’t be caught like a deer in headlights. Or worse — overdrawing your bank account.
3. Skip the Shopping Cart
Trust me. The last thing you want is a bulky cart holding you back. If you have a lengthy list, it’s better to grab a few friends or bring a reusable bag. The Ikea bags you can purchase are perfect examples of ideal shopping bags. Your Walmart might have these. The store isles are narrow and maneuvering lines of people is difficult with a cart.
4. Pick Up A Map
When you first walk in to Walmart they’ll be employees handing out store maps. Even if you’ve been in the store before, get one. Big sale featured items are placed on pallets in the isles or within random sections of the store. This means that the big screen TV you want, might be located in the women’s lingerie section.
5. Look up — Balloon Markers!
Walmart floats labeled balloons above the pallets to help guide you towards the items you’re looking for. The balloons are standard size and helium filled. You might need to bring your magnifying glass to read them. The writing can be a little small depending on the length of the product description. I tend to rely more on the map, but the balloons help you zero in on your target once you’re in the vicinity.
6. Stake your claim
Once you’ve located your item, plant yourself in line or in front of the pallet and wait for the sale to begin. Employees will come around and open the plastic on the pallets. Although I’ve often seen shoppers tearing into them once the time hits.
7. Get Out Immediately, But Orderly
Once you’ve nabbed all the items on your list, hold on tight to them (in the past people have been known to rip things out of other people’s hands), and head straight to the checkout. Remember your budget and your plan. Stick to it! Getting out of the store should be easier and happier since Walmart announced the introduction of “Holiday Helpers” in 2016. Store employees dedicated to helping customers get through the checkout line faster.
