How to Spot a Real Black Friday Bargain

After searching your ads on Thanksgiving Day, you may be left with a few items that you think are such a great deal, but you’re not really sure. Have you ever bought something on sale, only to find it at another store the next week at half the price?The best way to find out if an item is a real bargain is to do your research. Most of us have in mind what items we would like to purchase for our friends, family and significant others. Make note of them. While shopping for about a month ahead of time, try to find these items in the stores you visit and see how much they are. If you look through the Sunday advertisements, check the sale price of the items during the month of November.Don’t stop at just ads, also look online. There are many sites which will compare prices at the touch of a button, and even tell you where to find a certain bar code for the lowest price. Make note of these prices so you can compare them at the time your Black Friday ads appear.Take into consideration the rebates, coupons and combined special offers at the time of sale. An item may sell for the exact same price as you saw it before Thanksgiving, but this time it’s offered with a lifetime replacement, or a $25 rebate, or maybe it has a free printer. Make sure a combined offer is a better deal. Don’t get stuck with a free item if you’re not going to use it.Either way, make sure you know what the normal sale price is for an item before Black Friday and before you make the purchase. Just because it’s on sale on that day, doesn’t mean it’s a bargain. Be a careful, wise, and savvy shopper.