BLACK FRIDAY - how to hunt the best deals?

Most of us associate November with bad weather, All Saints' and Andrews' Day. However, this month we also celebrate the favourite holidays of all shopping lovers and "bargain hunters". We're obviously talking about Black Friday and Cyber Monday. On these two extraordinary days, most shops organize sales and tempt us with unusual promotions! It turns out that during Black Friday and Cyber Monday we can count on promotions reaching even -80%. However, in the heat of promotion it is very easy to go crazy and make the wrong choices. We suggest how to plan your shopping in order to take advantage of these two extraordinary days and not go bankrupt.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday - a shopping tradition from the USA

According to American tradition, "Black Friday" is the day immediately after Thanksgiving, which is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. The "Black Friday" this year falls on November 24th and, as always, is the official start of the Christmas shopping season. Where did the Black Friday tradition come from? There are at least a few theories about the origins of this "sales celebration". One of them proves that the name "Black Friday" was not related to shopping, but to the wave of on-demand and sick leave that American workers went to just after Thanksgiving to make a long weekend. Other theories are that the name derives from the heavy traffic in the vicinity of the shops that were established in the pre-Christmas period. Bus drivers were to use this phrase to describe problems related to free movement in the vicinity of shopping centres. Nevertheless, the tradition itself was eventually created by promotion and marketing specialists. They decided to create a day when they can expect an increased interest in the goods and thus a rapid cash flow.

A similar, although slightly different holiday is "Cyber Monday" created in 2005, which we celebrate on the first Monday after Thanksgiving, that is only 2 days after "Black Friday". The difference between these two holidays is that "Black Friday" is mainly about stationary stores, while "Cyber Monday" about internet. In practice, however, this usually means 3 days of sale, as often online shops prepare discount actions already on Friday. In the USA these days are a real shopping frenzy! Various goods can be purchased up to 80% or 90% cheaper, so there are long queues under the shops before opening.

It would seem that "Black Friday" has always been the most intense day of pre-Christmas shopping in the USA, but it turns out that it is not necessarily. Until 2001, this title was held the day before Christmas. This meant that many people left the purchase of gifts at the last minute. However, we know that such purchases are usually hasty and stressful. So it is worth thinking about Christmas gifts a bit earlier and take advantage of the promotions prepared for us by traders at the end of November.

Sale in Poland - shops ask themselves what customers would like to get a discount on!

The tradition of "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" has been very popular also in Poland for several years. On this occasion, many online and landline shops offer their customers exceptional promotions and discounts. They usually inform their customers a few days before the sale that they can expect discounts. It is worth looking at the websites or fanpages of the brands we are interested in, as this way we can be the first to know what will be overestimated. More and more often brands also ask their customers what promotions they expect. The Leifheit company, whose products can be purchased through the leifheitsklep.pl online store, has been involved in such an action. This white goods manufacturer decided to hold a Facebook vote on the products to be overestimated for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. By voting in the "sales plebiscite" each customer can have a real influence on the course of the promotion and induce the producer to prepare discounts of interest.

How to prepare for Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

In the heat of excitement and pre-Christmas offers it's easy to get into a vortex of shopping. The biggest trap is buying things we don't need at all, just because they have an attractive price. Most often, it concerns small items which can be purchased for as much as 10,15 or 20 PLN during the sale. It would seem that these are only a few zlotys, but when we add up these expenses it may turn out that we spent 100, 500, 1000 or more zlotys on things that are useless to us...

That's why it's worthwhile to prepare for shopping in advance and think carefully about what products we really need. Look around the house and look for damaged or broken things. Also think about what is missing in your environment and what can really make you happy. Finally, replace your old, broken mop or rusty slicer. Buy the new curtains you've long dreamed of. Has your ironing board looked like it's going to fall apart for a long time? Invest in a new, ultra-lightweight (e.g. Leifheit Air Board) from the top shelf - during the "Black Friday" you will buy it at the cheapest possible price! Give up another cup when there are a dozen of them in your cupboard, another Christmas tablecloth you only use once a year or a hundred candles in your living room...

It is different with products that wear out quickly and do not take up too much space. Buying an extra mop tip at a bargain price will always be a good idea - even if you have recently replaced the current one. Spare tips cost little and do not require much space to store them. Once you've thought about what you'd like to buy, make a shopping list that you can take with you to the store or keep in sight when shopping online. However, preparing a list alone does not guarantee success. Remember to stick to its assumptions or at least set a budget that under no circumstances will you exceed.

If you are an advocate of online shopping, a few days before "Cyber Monday" search the Internet for products you are interested in. Find the store that offers the most attractive promotions. If you need advice, consult it on the internet forum. Some shops - such as leifheitsklep.pl - prepare favourable discounts for particular product categories and give the possibility to co-decide which products will be the cheapest! Most often the most attractive promotions are announced via Facebook. That's why it's worth tracing the profiles on FB brands that interest us, to make sure we find the best opportunity!

And last but not least, remember! When shopping, your well-being is also very important. Don't buy under stress, hunger or fatigue, because hunting for opportunities will become a real anguish! And yet this is a time when we should be relaxed and rested! Remember your shopping plan and stick to it consistently, and your shopping will certainly succeed.