by Geoff Fox
This Friday is Black Friday, the day when stores are crowded as shoppers look for great deals on everything from toys to clothes to electronics.
If you’re going to brave the crowds to find the deals, take advice from someone who has been on the other side of the counter for 19 years.
The first piece of advice to give is be prepared to walk a long distance from your car to the mall or store.
A lot of stores are opening in the 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. timeframe, so if you want to get a good parking space, you might need to get up and to the mall or store before breakfast if you want a good parking spot.
If not, you’re going to be at the furthest reaches of the parking lot and you’ll have to hike a good distance just to get in the door.
Once in store, this is where the fun begins…
On Thanksgiving, newspapers are full of Black Friday books from numerous retailers. Look through them and make a list of what exactly you are looking for, biggest ticket item first.
It’s best to go in with a game plan with what you’re looking for so you can head to that specific section of the store and get that item.
If your kid wants a particular Lego set and it’s an in-demand item, best to have it at the top of the list so you know to run back to the toy department and grab it than making your way around the store browsing and eventually getting to the toys.
Oh no! You can’t find a certain item you’re looking for. First thought is to ask someone who works at the store if they can help.
Of course they can help, but you might be the second or third person to ask them for help in the matter of two minutes.
If they are helping another customer, and all other associates are busy, they might have you wait a second or two while they help the customers in front of you.
The associates are doing the best they can, as they might not be very familiar with the department or area you’re asking about, a teenager with their first job, a seasonal worker, or running on fumes because they’ve been running all over the place helping customers.
So, be patient when in the stores.
Also, pay attention to signage around the store.
Some stores don’t allow coupons on certain merchandise and the signs might express if the merchandise on the shelf or rack is eligible for the coupon.
The signs also direct you where to go. In some cases, they might tell you certain registers are unable to take sales or the amount of items at the register.
When you get ready to check out, be prepared to wait in a long line.
While in line, get everything ready for check out – coupons, reward cards, wallet, credit card – so you’re ready when the cashier is ready to ring you up.
Again, be patient with the cashier person as they’ve been ringing up people non-stop since the store opened.
When something doesn’t scan or have a tag on it, there’s a joke “Well I guess it must be free!” Please don’t use that if this happens. It got old after the first two customers said it earlier in the shift.
There are items that have a UPC number on an inside tag, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get the item rung up, but all too often there are things that don’t have the number inside.
It might take a couple minutes to find the right item on the floor or in the app if the store has one, so again, but patient.
When something is rung up and it isn’t the price the sign said, two things could come into play.
First, the item might have been set there when a previous customer decided they didn’t want it.
Second, the item might not be the same item you were looking at on the sign. Some signs have ranges of pricing such as sheets ranging from $20 to $50, or they’ll have a general line where it’s a certain percent off certain styles.
Don’t get upset at the cashier or manager if it doesn’t ring up the way you read the sign. They don’t control the pricing in the register or the signs.
Once you’ve paid and have made it outside, take a quick breath, put your purchase in your vehicle (if you’re at a stand-alone store), and replay the whole scenario over again at the next store.
Just remember at each store you go to, BE PATIENT and don’t be rude.
