General MSRP question: wait to black friday?

stlcole

Level 2 Member
In past years, starting around labor day, I would create a list of things I recognize I want to buy and am able to defer purchase until black friday. Then on BF, I usually go to Amazon and one or two other places and buy the stuff.

This year, I am still building my list, but since I have found this forum, I am wonder what if there is a better way to optimize the savings, which would include whether I need to wait for BF.

What are ways to improve this shopping algorithm?
 

Matt

Administrator
Staff member
Black Friday, and other holidays do have good sales. It is possible that using our underlying approach to things will improve them. Is your shopping algorithm "wait until black friday and pay cash" or something else? Hard to optimize without knowing what you do already.
 

stlcole

Level 2 Member
This year, it will be pay with my new Discover Card (10X cash back) and after that limit, pay with my Chase Freedom Card (5X cask back). MO is a high sales tax state so Apple Pay / DC is mostly eaten up by both taxes and the higher margins associated with the DC/Apple Pay merchants. Plus, who wants to actually shop in the real world on Black Friday?

One of the other things I am thinking of doing is scanning for discounted gift cards related to products or services I might buy to see if I can't do better than Amazon/DC/Freedom. The whole discounted GC is another thing I haven't experimented with in the past, but the eye-ball test seems to suggest they can do better than the optimum credit card.
 

msmith864

Level 2 Member
Don't forget to shop via portals if you're shopping online. Check cashbackmonitor for your favorite sites but read the terms carefully since using gift cards can invalidate your purchase. Portals usually up their percentages for certain stores during black friday. Shop Discover is great right now since it'll be doubled.
 

msmith864

Level 2 Member
Amazon's a little tougher because all of the portals have rotating categories. Most of them seem to be on Halloween/clothing right now. If you're buying discounted gift cards, portals will pay out for those sometimes too depending on where you're buying from. For example, you can get 2% back on Raise via portals up to a certain limit.
 

GettingReady

Level 2 Member
Hmm, I plan to do what I do every Black Friday. Stock up on all the freebies at drugstores: toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, shampoo, conditioner,body wash, vitamins, etc., and use the "moneymakers" to get other things free. Last year it was coffee. Still taking it out of the freezer. I use to coupon shop 1-1.5k a month (non-perishables) and our church would give it away to people in need. Now I just primarily shop on Black Friday for us. Websites are probably already posting ads.

As far as MO, when I was visiting there a couple years ago it was great. No sales tax if an item was free after coupons. In FL we still have to pay sales tax. I've made up to $5 with different promotional items. It's a learning curve as drugstores have different rules and rewards programs.
 

GettingReady

Level 2 Member
I'm not sure why I get a mental image of some burlesque here...
Haha. It's more like items are free after Walgreens register rewards or CVS extra carebucks (look for their advertisements) and whatever coupon you have makes it a moneymaker. The ads use to be full of deals but more skimpy the last couple of years. Coupons also expire sooner. For instance, the only "free" things in Wags ad this week are Ice Breakers Cool Blasts Mints and a True Metrix Blood Glucose Meter. The stores still ramp up for Black Friday though but actually start on Thursday. It's about the only consistent couponing I do any more. Reality TV shows kinda ruined it. Just like there's been changes with CCs, miles, and awards....
 

InstinctX

Level 2 Member
OH...so you're the one who cleaned out all the Targets of the swiffers & Tide Pods? I sadly spent a bit too much time trying to get the right mix of swiffer products that qualified for the gift card & extra $$ off discount (they were quick to pull out all the $3/4 swiffer from being eligible for store pickup boo)
 

GettingReady

Level 2 Member
Not me, Instinct! Lol. I never was a big Target shopper and won't be going back with the demise of. The REDcard. I use to go there occasionally for deals but they would be out, so it wasn't worth my time. I hate shopping and if I'm going to waste my time doing it, I want to get the items.

Sticole, usually the drug stores start the deals on Thurs. Unless there's not many in your area it's usually not a problem. They seem to stock up a lot. Keep in mind, they have different rules and you need a good grasp of how register rewards and extra carebucks work on buying subsequent items. CVS is way easier to learn but has limits so you need more than one card. It's rare to see limits at Wags on their RR items.

Some web sites to google:
I heart wags
I heart CVS (will show deals ahead of time)
Coupon tom dot com (search engine for current online and newspaper coupons)
Southern savers dot com (specific grocery store deals)
My frugal adventures (can look up rules)

Hope that helps.
 

stlcole

Level 2 Member
I just tried giving assistant on an Amazon order. Thanks for that tip. How long does it take for giving assistant to record the transaction?
 

velveteenrobber

Level 2 Member
Some credit cards give price protection and even cover Black Friday sales. I'm pretty sure Citi price rewind does, so you could buy now and rewind later without having to deal with limited quantities at sale time.
 

Haley

I am not a robot
@velveteenrobber -- great idea - I forgot about price match/coverage. I thought there were exemptions for 'limited qty' sales...
Some of the Terms restrict limited quantity sales, so you need to be careful.
Discover Card is your friend here, they will match to Black Friday door busters. Buy now, get 22% off w/Apple Pay and use Price Protection to drop the price. On bigger ticket items the extra 22% on the price originally paid can be significant- brings down anything with a $500 price drop an extra $100.
 
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