5 tips to make the most of your Black Friday shopping

Nov 19 2019, 5:56 pm

Black Friday is approaching fast.

While that may conjure images of people climbing on top of shopping carts/each other or sleeping outside stores in the early hours of the morning, vying for the best flat screen deal possible doesn’t have to be pure chaos.

Check out our tips below to make your Black Friday experience feel all about the satisfaction of deals and as little like you’re inside a mosh pit as possible.

Set a budget 

Shopping list/Shutterstock

First things first. Knowing what you can afford ahead of the big day can save you indecision on the day and will clear your conscience of any guilt going into your spending spree. 

Making a list of what you want to be spending (and what on) will make you much more organized. Plus, it’ll help you avoid those unnecessary impulse buys — so you’re not stuck wondering a week later why you bought a popcorn machine.

Know your deals

A couple online/Shutterstock

Waking up on the morning of Black Friday and just winging it might sound like a good idea. After all, you’re just going to serendipitously stumble across deals, right? While we would love it if that was the case (and it can happen), you’ll be in a much better place if you find out where the deals are at ahead of time.

So how do you know where the deals are at? Following your favourite retailers on social media is a great way to see what deals are being forecast ahead of the big day. It’s not a bad idea to sign up for their newsletter either, just in case they give subscribers word of their upcoming specials (or, better yet, exclusive discounts).

Map your mayhem

Finding out where the deals are actually on is a great idea, but making a map of where you actually need to go (physically or digitally) and in which order is just as important. 

Not sure where to start for your Black Friday itinerary? Start with the stores that you know are likely to be the busiest. If you’re getting super excited at the prospect of discounted cell phones, flat screens or blenders, it’s likely everyone else is too. Next up? Fashion stores. Everyone wants a winter jacket but not everyone wants to pay full price. Make sure you beat the lines by getting there early.

Pro tip: check the opening hours of the stores you’re heading to, as a lot of places operate under special hours on Black Friday.

Get the low-down on store policies

Shopping/Shutterstock

Knowing all the info you can about a store’s return policy when something’s on special is super important. After all, if your budgeting will-power let you down and you succumbed to that popcorn machine, you’re going to want to know where you stand after you leave the store.

Another hot tip is to find out where they stand on their price-matching policies. If you can find it somewhere else and they can match it, then the store with the best policy should be your priority.

Get rewarded

You’ve made it through the day unscathed, at least physically. You’re happy with your finds, you didn’t get a parking ticket, and there were fewer crowds than in your nightmare the night before (or in that article on the internet last year).

The last thing you want to do is get home to your credit card statement and realize you used the one without the maximum amount of rewards for your purchases. Make sure you use the card that rewards you for shopping at your particular destinations of choice, so you can capitalize on that spending.


If you want to really maximize your rewards, you could pay off your credit bill with Paytm, a service that allows Canadians to earn points on their bills.

Paytm also lets you earn rewards by spending on the brands you love. So, if you end up scoring that flat screen from Best Buy, you can rack up rewards. Even better, if you earn some points in advance, you can redeem an e-gift card to help you save even more on the day.

For every dollar spent, you’re getting points that you can put towards other purchases. All of a sudden, that impulse buy doesn’t seem like such a big deal.

Visit the Patym website to learn more about how you can maximize your spending on Black Friday and start collecting points.

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