have you been waiting all year for the black friday shopping season some of us our heads are filled with the promise of scoring the very best price on a new tv smart speaker or other high tech gadgets during this occasion it s also tricky to know when to shop some of the biggest retailers kicked off their holiday sales weeks earlier than usual this year and some consumers have decided to buy early to make sure they get the items they want in hope of getting the best deals if you re waiting for the actual black friday we have the perfect guideline to make your shopping stress free six guidelines for black friday 1 start early starting to shop early this year will be a good strategy because deals are kicking off earlier than usual and also because hot products may sell out quickly or fail to arrive at your doorstep on time 2 skip the in store sales and shop online online shoppers may see more free delivery offers and ship to store programs with curbside pickup retailers will also offer more of the same promotions online that they do in stores 3 use websites and apps to judge how good the deals are in crunch time you need to track prices leading up to black friday the same goes for cyber monday which now stretches into a week of online specials but you don t have to go retailer by retailer to compare prices the consumer reports website lists the current prices at various outlets for the products in our ratings you can also try google shopping pricegrabber and shopzilla to be a web savvy shopper add items to your shopping cart if they have a price you like so you can find them again quickly and be all set to order visit the website after checking the websites of other retailers to see whether the price is really special putting an item in your cart doesn t reserve it though you need to place your order and get confirmation that it has been received 4 use loyalty programs store loyalty programs often grant members early access to coupons sales and promotions then let them earn rewards on what they buy you can sign up for black friday shopping alerts to become a member of your favorite stores in some cases you can even find out whether the products you want are in stock or eligible to buy online and pick up at a store which can save you money on shipping 5 get social the facebook instagram and twitter feeds of your favorite retailers are a great way to find out about exclusive deals and promotions retailers will often reward customers who like or follow them with special alerts to black friday discounts and incentives 6 create a budget and stick to it we all get caught up in the excitement of sales and overspending always keep in mind that you will need to survive after this event spend your money wisely black friday sales especially the doorbuster specials available in limited quantities are designed in part to get you into a store or shopping online so that the retailer can sell you stuff you weren t intending to buy decide ahead of time how much you want to spend on your black friday shopping spree and do your best to resist impulse buying especially if you re not sure how good a deal is