How to get the best deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
By Carla Snuggs

If you're planning on doing any Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopping, you'll appreciate these excellent shopping tips by Faveable.com Editorial Director Kara Kamenec. Faveable.com is the newest website offering top-notch editorial featuring shopping suggestions and list, curated deals and advice for all sectors men love and for those shopping for their man in their lives. Here are 8 smart shopping tips for Posh Beauty Blog readers:

1. Know When To Buy, Know When Not To Buy

On Black Friday and Cyber Monday it’s wise to adopt some flexibility. An item may not be exactly the model you want but if the price is insanely good, making the purchase is probably a smart move.

On the other hand, practicality is key. Cyber Monday is a great day to find online deals but stick to your list. Cyber Monday isn’t the end all be all of deals, as there will continue to be great online deals for the next three weeks. Therefore, if you really can’t find anything relatively close to what you want, don’t buy just to buy. Instead, step back from the situation (and the very temping high percentage discount) and wait around for a better deal on the item or type of item you really want.

2. Remember, This Is The Worst Time To Impulse Buy

It’s commonly thought that Black Friday shoppers make more purchases but Cyber Monday shoppers save more money. You’ve been waiting all year and finally when it comes, Black Friday literally bombards you with deals and tempting discounts. Still, smart shoppers know a little restraint is in order.

If you see a great deal on Black Friday, then by all means, make a purchase, but don’t be lured into buying something just because it’s BlackFriday. Remember that Cyber Monday is just a few days away and that deal price you see on Friday may drop even lower come Monday. It’s a bit of a gamble, but a little restraint can actually save you a large amount of money in the long run.

Black Friday Shoping Tips - Image: Weheartit.com

3. Time It Right To Avoid The Crowds And Site Mishaps

Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping strategy is all about timing: knowing when the doorbuster deals become available for the items you want. To avoid the crowds, look for early Black Friday deals Thursday after midnight. To avoid site mishaps (often due to too much traffic to a site) look Sunday night after midnight for early Cyber Monday deals.

4. Especially On Black Friday, Check Social Networking Sites

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are hectic days, often inducing humorous in-store stampeding and not so humorous online site crashes. The madness has become a hallmark trait of these shopping holidays so it’s easy to get lost in the hustle. Instead of fallowing the road most traveled, take the back route and find secret deals by checking retailer social network pages.

On both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, nearly all retailers turn to social media to tweet or post time-limited deals and last minute promotions. On Cyber Monday certain deals may only be accessible via a specific link, and you’re most likely to find that link on social networking sites. On Black Friday retailers have even more of a reason to use social networking sites. In-store chaos makes it hard to alert shoppers to limited-time deals and limited quality specials. As an alternative means of communication and spreading awareness, retailers turn to social networking sites to leak shopping updates. Essentially, retailers use social media to ‘reward’ followers with the inside scope on the best deals and promos throughout the day.

5. Especially On Cyber Monday, Use Aggregated Coupon Tools

Of course you’ll find deals on Cyber Monday, but did you know you could also get a discount on top of those deal prices? That’s right, with aggregated coupon tools you can easily apply coupon codes before checkout that can save you a little extra or throw in something special, such as free shipping.

With a simple click, these browser-installed tools, such as Coupons at Checkout and Honey, scan the Internet for the best discount codes you can apply right at checkout. Although it’s good to know not all coupons will work on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, taking an extra 30 seconds to check if they do is well worth the payoff.

6. Price Check At Least A Month Before

To be clear, “$100 Off!” does not always mean $100 off the regular price. Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are all about presentation, and the best deals are only visible in the details. $100 could be $100 off the MSRP; it could be $100 off the price that was hiked up last week to prepare for this sale; it could be $100 off the highest price point throughout the shelf life of the item. All in all, you’ll have no idea what type of deal you are getting unless you check prices beforehand.

To get the best sense of the regular price and actual deal, check prices before Halloween, when pre-Black Friday hype isn’t yet in full swing. The best way is to manually check and keep October prices in a list or utilize online tools for automated price tracking, such as Nifti orPOUCH it, which keep track of price changes for you.

7. Shipping Fees Are A Retailer's Secret Weapon

Shipping fees can dramatically alter the final price you pay, especially when you buy from out of state sellers or purchase large, heavy items. Throughout the year, free shipping is pretty standard on deals nowadays, but some retailers will throw that logic to the curb come BlackFriday/Cyber Monday.

In a strained effort to advertise a price tag that is lower than competitors, retailers will often tack on shipping fees to items that usually ship for free. Often these shipping fees can tip the final price over a competitor’s slightly higher priced item that does include free shipping. To avoid falling prey to this retailer tactic, don't just expect free shipping. Rather, make it a habit to check shipping details immediately after spotting any Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal.

8. View Black Friday/Cyber Monday As A Week-Long Event

Back Friday and Cyber Monday price drops are no longer reserved for just two days. Instead, the deals and promotions are turning into a week-long events, and knowing this puts shoppers at an advantage. These off-day deals may not be as highly promoted - and in fact many seem hidden - but the deals are there if you look.

Instead of only making purchases on the popular Friday and Monday shopping days, schedule your deal hunting to encompass the entire week: Look early in the week (Monday through Wednesday) for 'hidden' pre-Black Friday deals and look all weekend long for 'hidden' post-Black Friday deals.

What are you best Black Friday tips? Leave them in the comments below!