Black Friday sales are finally over and, yet again, Americans spent more money this year than they did the year prior. And no, you're not imagining it, Black Friday themed sales are also starting earlier and earlier each year, making it that much harder to resist making unnecessary purchases.
So, of course, we want to know more about how you are feeling after this humangous shopping spree. The numbers say one thing, but what lies behind them? Let's dive in ⬇️
More than half of you (52%) answered that you feel a lot more anxious this year compared to the last because things have gotten noticeably more expensive. We're not surprised to hear this, given that there's more and more proof out there that many of the Black Friday "deals" we see are actually fake.
If you missed our newsletter deep dive that covered the best tips & tricks on how to find the best real Black Friday deals, here's a quick recap for tools that track changes in pricing:
Amazon: camelcamelcamel
This website tracks historical prices on Amazon, and if you copy and paste the website link to the product you are contemplating buying, it will share the historical price and show you if it’s still a deal.
Online Retailers: PriceSpider
This website allows you to search for and compare different shops and similar products simultaneously online.
Any Online Retailer: Honey
This is a browser extension that will automatically seek and provide coupons and discounts it finds available as you shop online.
Specific Deals you are seeking online: Visualping
This browser tool allows you to monitor specific product websites and pings you when there’s a price change.
44% of you said that you're willing to go into credit card debt for Black Friday deals. And this is very, very alarming.
Remember that you should pay off your credit card in full each month. And follow a general rule of thumb - treat your credit card as you would a debit card; meaning don't buy things you can't pay for immediately!
Well here's a bit of a reality check for all the great "deals" available out there. More than half of you (51%) already regret one or more purchases you made during Black Friday sales.
Remember that companies manufacture false scarcity to get you to pull the trigger faster on purchases you might not need (or even want!). It's also worth noting that most companies use this time to offload items that no one wanted throughout the year; almost no one will give huge discounts on items that everyone wants. So keep this in mind for next year 😉
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