It’s that time of year again! Black Friday and Cyber Week – the time that people start to take advantage of the fourth-quarter sales that most stores retailers offer, all in the massive anticipation of Christmas. Personally, I love this time of the year – and not just for the fantastic bargains that you can score. I’ll be the first to admit, I love when stores have free snacks (and I’ve definitely taken full advantage of the snack tables that have already been set out) as well as bargains for pieces that have been on my wish-list for a while.

However, with all the sales and snack tables that are available, it can seem a little daunting to know where to start. Do you make a list of all the items that you’re keen to find on sale? Have you a wish-list of pieces that you NEED to find? Do you look in each of your favourite stores first or do you shop by the best sales advertised in the window? Over the years, I’ve managed to compile some tips and tricks on how to make the most out of Black Friday and Cyber Week, even though I really only started to enjoy this part of the shopping season a few years ago. Narrowing it down to five, I hope these tips will help you make the absolute MOST out of Black Friday and Cyber Week, whether you plan on shopping in-store or online. Credit cards at the ready, and happy shopping!

Make a list of your favourite stores, and take note of their sales

This somewhat goes without saying, but one of my top tips when it comes to making the most out of Black Friday and Cyber Week is to make a list of your favourite retailers and take note of what sales they are offering, especially if they are day-specific (i.e. Black Friday ONLY, Cyber Monday, etc.). Most retailers are beginning to roll out their Black Friday offers to last the entire weekend, which definitely makes the shopping rush much less stressful. Something that I definitely appreciate.

Park strategically

One of the most important tips I’ve realized over the years is definitely to park your car strategically if you’re shopping in-store. Nothing is worse than parking far away from your favourite retailer in a shopping center and being far away from a coffee cart. I don’t think I could think of a more scary thing to happen on Black Friday.

Two of my main priorities when trying to find a place to park near a shopping center is how close my favourite retailers are to a certain entrance as well as its proximity to a coffee cart. The latter may seem unnecessary, however, sometimes a quick bit of caffeine is what it takes to face the crowds you may encounter. Typically, when I keep a list of my favourite retailers, I also take note of which are the closest to each other. This way, it takes less time between retailers making your shopping day as streamlined as it can be for Black Friday.

Stay comfortable (!!!)

The key to a successful shopping trip whether it be online, or in-store is to stay comfortable. My favourite thing to wear on long shopping trips is a pair of stretch denim and a cozy sweater. I try not to add too many layers, because if you ever were to nip into the fitting rooms, you could spend more time changing than you would at the till. Which we all know, that on Black Friday, your time at the till could be a long wait.

Some of my favourite cozy pieces include the new-in ribbed roll-neck from Madewell. I love the ribbed design of the knit, it adds in the extra cozy factor along with the higher neckline and chocolatey brown colour. Not to mention it comes in more colours for my non-neutral loving gals. If you’re looking for an AMAZING pair of stretch denim, my go-to pair for shopping ventures as of late has been the Rockstar jean. They’re perfect for all day wear in a washed vintage shade, better yet, they have plenty of stretch to accommodate any and all kinds of snacking habits (score!). Cozy socks are also a must – on the colder days of shopping whether indoor or outdoor, my feet are always the first to freeze. For the past few years, I have been obsessed with the thermal socks from Cuddl Duds – and not just because of the incredible fair isle prints.

My Cozy Shopping Look

Make an online wish-list

Something I’ve always enjoyed doing is to make an online wish-list or even just have a browse online before going in to any stores. This way, I find that I don’t wander around aimlessly, as I’ve already got pieces in mind that I want to look for. This helps me in my goal to buy smarter, as I’ve been trying to steer away from impulse purchases and to meaningfully curate my wardrobe with less, but higher quality pieces. It all comes back to the old saying, “Quality over quantity”.

I’m sure the idea of having many websites wherein you have separate wish-lists can seem a bit much. However, there is a way to curate a wish-list in one place for many retailers all in one app. If you’ve been following my Instagram, you’ll know that I use LikeToKnow.it on an almost daily basis. If you’re like me, and you like to take inspiration from those you follow on social media, LikeToKnow.it is a fantastic way to translate your inspiration into a wish-list that you can either treat yourself or a friend to, or maybe put these items on your Christmas list as a ‘hint-hint’ to your special someone.

The feature in this app that I love the most is the ability to follow as many ‘influencers’ as you’d like, and whilst you’re browsing (either through the app or on social media), you can find the product details of pretty much any look you’d like. The best part is, you can add your favourite products to your ‘Wish-list’ tab, making it much easier to see the list of the products that interest you.

Skip the lines on Black Friday

Going off of the previous tip, one way that you can skip the till lines altogether on Black Friday is to do your shopping online. Whether you’re utilizing the LikeToKnow.it app and shopping from your mobile device or having a browse on your laptop in your pajamas with a mug of coffee – it’s much less stressful than making sure you’re getting everything on your list in store. Especially when you can run the risk of them running out of certain sizes, or maybe hurtling over people to get to the nearest coffee cart (yes, I’d be guilty of this). Either way you go, shopping online is much less hectic and oftentimes, you never have to leave your living room.

Do you have any tips for surviving Black Friday and Cyber Week? What are some of your favourite retailers that you’re keeping an eye out for this year? I’d love to hear about them in the comments! Also, make sure you keep an eye out on my Seasonal Sale Edits or my LikeToKnow.it profile for the latest information on some of my favourite Black Friday sales – maybe even get a cheeky discount code too. Until next, xoxo.

The Look

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