Black Friday is the best day to shop in the USA if you really want to get a good deal or buy some great Christmas presents. Thanksgiving officially marks the start of the holiday season. The day after Thanksgiving is Black Friday shopping. Since this day is a “public holiday” in the USA, almost every American now has time to shop.

Name Black Friday

Black Friday has nothing to do with the stock market crash of 1929. This took place on a Thursday in the USA. As it was already Friday here in Europe, we didn’t call it “Black Thursday” like the Americans, but “Black Friday”.

The “Black Friday” referred to in the USA is a shopping day that allows all stores to get out of the red on this day. It has been the day with the highest turnover in the USA since 2005. However, it can also be assumed that the term “black” refers to the “black” crowds of people entering the stores or the still dark night, as many stores open very early…

Black Friday shopping in New York City

But back to shopping for the coveted bargains or “doorbusters”. Discounts of up to 80% are possible on Black Friday. Special offers, discounts and giveaways await shoppers. The lowest prices you will find all year. Many offers are announced in advance in newspapers and advertising brochures. You can also find out about special opening hours and offers online. If you enter a store on Black Friday, you will find the best offers listed again on displays in the store. Sometimes there are also coupons for further discounts in newspapers.

The “door busters” are often available in strictly limited quantities. Only the first customers (often at night) can buy them. There is often an additional limited quantity of one per person. An example at Old Navy – here there are three different rounds of door busters – including 1000 Wii game console systems being given away.

Best bargains

Stores with the best deals in New York (examples from 2013):

• Apple – the only day Apple gives discounts at all (Iphones, Ipads and MacBooks with 15-20% discount).
• Macy’s – best deals and bargains in New York. The store opens at 3 or 4 in the morning. Queues are quite normal here – in English, queues are called “lines” and “queue”. But it’s also worth going back to Macy’s in the afternoon. There are often vouchers that can be redeemed on the same day. For the first coat, you will receive a voucher card for 50 US$ and can redeem it immediately for the next item or at a later date.
• Toys “R “Us – especially popular in Times Square. The best day to buy toys – incredible queues even at night, very big discounts and fascinating to see how loaded the visitors come out of the store with all the bags and then take a cab.
• Abercombie & Fitch – the young trend brand is also very popular on Black Friday.
• Best Buy – even offers top deals in advance as a countdown to Black Friday day.
• Ikea – even a trip to Ikea (Brooklyn and New Jersey) is worthwhile on this day.
• JC Penny – in addition to top discounts, various prizes will also be raffled off (e.g. trips).
• Old Navy – opens as early as midnight and likes to give away games such as the Wii systems mentioned above.
• Staples – offers special Early Bird Deals for customers from 5am.

For really special bargains, many stay overnight right outside the stores. It’s also worth getting up early on this day. Occasionally, however, there are stores that ignore the Black Friday discount battle. Victoria’s Secret, for example, does not offer any extra discounts on this day. This was really surprising for me.

Practical tips

Low prices on a non-working day naturally also attract a lot of people to the stores. You rarely see stores as crowded as they are today. So here are a few tips to help you get through the day as well as possible:

• Today you don’t go shopping because it’s great, but because it’s cheap. Looking perfect doesn’t play a special role today – it’s better to look practical and sporty.
• Today you can even wear a rucksack instead of a handbag.
• Choose comfortable shoes, preferably sneakers (ones you can slip into quickly).
• It’s better to wear a little less and freeze for a short time than to stand in the store sweating in a thick coat. Even if you want to try something on, it’s better to wear less – if necessary, wear clothes that you can put a dress over, for example, without having to queue for the changing rooms.
• Bring large, comfortable bags – preferably shoulder bags. Many stores no longer give out bags because you are supposed to buy the good cloth bags from the stores. Shoulder bags are more comfortable and tear-resistant in the long run. They also keep your hands free.
• Have something handy to pass the time in the queue outside the store or at the checkout. This keeps you in a better mood when you are distracted. Sometimes headphones and music also help.
• Sometimes it pays off if the sales clerks already know you. Simply look around the store a few days in advance and ask about the Black Friday deals. Sometimes items are also reserved and put on hold.
• Find out in advance exactly where you want to buy something and where the desired bargains are available. Sometimes it is better to buy the items directly online (if necessary, you can also buy them in the store itself from your cell phone).
• If possible, you should avoid the crowds on the main shopping streets: Herald Square, Broadway south of Houston Street in SoHo and the intersection at 59th and Lexington. Instead, head towards SoHo or the Flatiron Building for shopping.
• If you want personalized advice, you have more chance of getting it at Lord & Taylor than at Macy’s that day. Otherwise, the sales assistants are generally much more relaxed in the afternoon than in the morning during the extreme deals.
• Macy’s has a coat check in the basement. I saw the sign myself and thought “No thanks, I’ll leave my jacket on for a moment”. However, this is about something else. You can not only hand in your coat here, but also all the shopping bags you have bought so far. Very practical! On my second visit to Macy’s in the afternoon, I decided to do the coat check.
• Please don’t forget to eat and drink. Shopping is stressful and drains your energy reserves. Always have something to drink with you and snack often. If you are queuing at a checkout, for example, you can make good use of the time to eat and drink.
• You should also plan rest periods. Every now and then, you should sit down and relax. This works very well in the shoe departments, for example, or even in some “powder rooms” and bathrooms, some of which even offer seating (e.g. at Lord&Tailor in the lingerie department, or on the second floor at Bloomingdales)
• Toilet breaks are best planned in large department stores. Hotels along the way are also always a better option than a coffee shop. As a visitor, you can also use the toilet next to the lobby and will be pleased with the higher standard. Other insider tips are the bathrooms in the beauty department at Bergdorf Goodman on 5th, in the basement of the Plaza Hotel on Central Park or at Jeffrey on 14th near High Line Park.

As shoppers often only visit the large department stores on Black Friday, there is also Small Business Saturday. This means that one day later, you can continue to look for bargains in smaller stores in the neighborhood. I think this is a great way to find really special gifts and items. Cyber Monday (the Monday after) has established itself for online retailers.

Even if you’re not in the USA, many online stores in Germany have been offering Black Friday or Cyber Monday discounts for several years now. Just keep an eye out for them!