Black Friday & Deal Shopping

2008.11.26 [DEAL EXPIRED]

Black Friday means shopping madnes in the US, with lots of discounts and combos starting as early as midnight. Amazon is joining the fun with its Black Friday no-madness shopping experience. Just browse and buy. For those who like the Black Friday experience as much as the deals, there is the Amazon Customers Vote feature. Basically, users vote on which item they want a deal on and Amazon randomly selects users to buy the item at a ridiculously (their word) low price.

Now, before you all jump on these shopping opportunities, lets review the rules of deal shopping:

1. The total cost of the deal, including applicable taxes and shipping, must actually be lower than the total cost at other reputable stores.
2. A deal is only a good deal if you actually get the goods. Lookup seller ratings to check if a store is reputable. Read the fine print, items on special may be used, demos or refurbished.
3. A deal is only a deal if it is on something you actually need or want (possibly as a gift ;) )
4. Do not downgrade your expectations because a lower-end model is on special. Also, be careful of upgrades which require much more expensive accessories.
5. See if you can make your own deals by using a store's policy to beat competitor's advertised price. With all the Black Friday ads around, this should be easier. Remember, price match policies usually only apply for in-stock items.
6. Once you got your deal item, make sure the accessories are well-priced too. Often stores give good prices on cameras but get you on memory, batteries and cables. Shop around for every piece.

Have fun shopping and happy Thanksgiving!

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