Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving is deemed the Biggest Shopping day of the year for consumers and merchants alike. It is the best time to get all the items on your list at a fraction of the cost as everything is discounted.
It is important to note that this is traditionally an American Day of Discounts that has been spread to other countries including Jamaica as we are quite Americanised and we love a good deal. Below, I’ve shared a few tips and tricks to help you get the most out of this amazing weekend of Shopping and of course stretch that dollar!
How to Shop Black Friday Weekend Deals in Jamaica (Like a Pro)
Use Shopping Ads
Use ads to plan your shopping day so you have a better chance of getting your most-wanted items. Though we don’t have a huge catalogue spread like in the States; Newspapers like The Jamaica Observer will have a supplement they publish in one of their issues with the deals. They also promote via Radio, so be sure to listen out for the ads to know when the deals start and end officially.
Plan Early
There are many retailers that will start running Black Friday deals at the end of October, so you can start shopping early. I know this might not sound like Jamaica, but you can ask — asking is different from haggling a vendor, but ask if there are any sales. I visited a store recently, and bought a few items and reminded them Black Friday would be next month and asked if they would have a sale. To my surprise, the owner over heard the conversation and came out and informed that they the stock for December had just arrived and she needed to make space. With me mentioning the idea of a Sale, she decided to discount a few items to make room for the new ones. This also goes hand-in- hand with deciding on the items you need early enough and where to get them and start saving. In this regard, I also recommend setting aside a budget specifically for the Black Friday Weekend.
Subscribe to Store Mailing Lists
I know this is not “big” here in Jamaica, but a few stores have added Email Marketing to their Marketing Strategy as a way to directly talk to their customers. This allows the individuals to get emails delivered to the inboxes whenever there are sales and other promotions and even events. Let us finally, once and for all kill the notion that “Jamaicans don’t read” and start subscribing to a few email lists. More established retail brand like Lee’s Fifth Avenue and Ammar’s both have email lists where they send information about sales and promoters to their customers. If you visit a store like this and there is an option to sign-up, say yes! They only send email once per week or even and if you no longer find the content valuable, you can always opt out and unsubscribe.
Shop Early
This is the part where Black Friday truly comes in as when I first experienced this in America, it saw you waking up at 2 in the morning to be at the store by 4am so when the door opens at 5am, you are among the first set of people. This is called “Doorbuster” where stores are opened earlier as they open their doors to amazing offers. This has been done in Jamaica and the store that does this well is Ammar’s Village Plaza. They have done this for the past two (2) years before COVID a period of extra discounts for a two hour period. This is great for Luggage, Houseware and a few Fashion items but it’s best to focus on High ticket items like luggage that offers a better value for your money at a discounted cost.
Thoroughly Investigate The Goods
I can’t be the only one that this has happened to; when you see a great deal on an item you have been eyeing, you quickly make the purchase then when you get home, you realise the item is damaged! This goes for all categories of goods, including clothing. It is important to spend the time to scan through all items you purchase to ensure it is in good condition before making the actual purchase. It is also important to note that some items might be on sale because it is damaged or defective and once you notice that you can decide whether or not you want to make the purchase.
Conclusion
As the world slowly moves back into some normalcy for us, I am glad that more things like Black Friday and Cyber Monday are back to encourage people to shop. Though not everyone will have an unlimited budget to get all the items on their list, treat yourself and your loved ones to at least one item that will make them or you smile just a little bit bigger.
I hope that these tips helped to guide you towards making the right purchasing decisions and you will spend and choose wisely.
#How to Shop Black Friday Weekend Deals in Jamaica (Like a Pro)
#How to Shop Black Friday Weekend Deals in Jamaica (Like a Pro)
#How to Shop Black Friday Weekend Deals in Jamaica (Like a Pro)
#How to Shop Black Friday Weekend Deals in Jamaica (Like a Pro)
#How to Shop Black Friday Weekend Deals in Jamaica (Like a Pro)
