Even though you stand in line for hours you might not get the deals that were advertised for Black Friday. Of course if it sounds to good to be true it probably is. Most likely you won't be the one to get the outstanding deals.
Black Friday may offer great deals but you should know the reality of the situation before you waste your time. You may line up outside the store for hours before it opens and most customers won't get the best bargains that appear on a retailers ads.
The doorbuster deals on the ads may seem unbelievable so read the fine print. It will most likely say "while supplies last," "minimum 2 per store," "no rainchecks," or "all items are available in limited quantities." In plain English this means that out of the hundreds of people waiting in line there will only be a couple to a handful of items that have that amazing price.
So the most popular gifts like the flat screen large plasma HDTVs and home appliances for only $299 or whatever are in very short supply. They just plaster these ads to get you into the store but most likely by the time you enter the store price buster items are long gone and the other items aren't that great of a deal.
Another technique that retailers will use is by advertising a remarkable price on a product. However, when you enter the store you realize the reduced price is on a model with fewer features than the standard model. This means you pay a lower price but you're also getting a product with limited capabilities. So in essence you get what you pay for.
Retailers will also say that Black Friday deals are only available online. But they never say which ones. This means that you might spend hours standing in line at night to find out that the product you wanted is only on sale online. So you wasted your nights sleep, time, and you ended up with nothing because you have to buy it when you get home and by then they might be gone.
Customers may also face other problems. Retailers may offer a great price on a product and choose to honor each customers order but then the order may not be shipped. Last year many customers had to wait months in order to get the products they ordered and they totally missed Christmas. Or others received a substitute model because manufacturers were out and what's worse is that many customers orders were cancelled weeks later because the product was out of stock. Either way you're S.O.L.
Lastly, Black Friday shoppers should be aware of are rainchecks. If a retailer does offer you a raincheck, there is still a chance that they might not honor it. Or the retailer might not get any more of the product shipped to its stores after weeks of waiting.
Black Friday offers some great deals. However, shoppers should be aware of the tactics that retailers use before they spend hours waiting in line. In order to avoid being completely ticked off know before you go. Nothing is as good as it seems and there are plenty of people that wait in lines for hours that never get the perfect Christmas gift.
Tags: black friday, christmas deals, christmas shopping, marketing to customers, promotions and ads, retailer tactics, shopping
