It’s that time of year again, when everyone gets together to celebrate gluttony and the joining of Native Americans and the Pilgrims, and then use all of that carb energy for shopping at ridiculous hours.
BLACK FRIDAY.
I have only done the Black Friday thing once, getting up at 4am to go buy a television. It was a hot deal at the time and we still have the TV, so 7 or so years ago, it was worth it to freeze in the parking lot of that 6th Ave Electronics. However, since then, I have not had anything that I needed so badly that I wanted to get up that early, or stay up that late.
Online shopping is another story, I had some GREAT buys last year online, and I think it will only get better this year. I know that people will be doing both in-person and online shopping, so here are my Top 5 Tips for Black Friday Shopping.
1. Evaluate your needs, right now.
What do you really need? When we bought a TV on Black Friday, we were replacing a ye olde television that had seen better days. If you’ve been thinking about replacing something for a while, Black Friday is definitely a good opportunity to purchase that item at a reduced price.
2. Evaluate your gift list.
As mentioned in my post on starting your holiday shopping early, there’s no shame in the sale game. If you can get a great gift for someone and can save a little money in the process, then have at it. Review the list of gifts you still have to buy for the holidays, and see if you can match up your list with a Black Friday opportunity.
3. Do your research.
Black Friday is full of tricks and vague language. In addition, the sale items can at times be inferior. If you want a 1080p flat screen TV, the one on sale is probably 720. Look around online for the item you’re interested in, figure out the specs that are important to you, and note the prices of items that meet your requirements. This will give you a clear look at how good the sale prices really are.
4. Sign up for emails and connect on social channels with your favorite retailers.
If you aren’t already receiving emails from sites you shop at often, or if you don’t get emails from brands you are already a fan of, now is the time to sign up for emails. You can always unsubscribe from these emails later, and it’s worth it to get the alerts to all of the holiday special offers. I recommend Amazon, Ulta, and The Body Shop in particular, they are some of my favorites. Ulta has exclusive LORAC palettes for Black Friday, and The Body Shop always has some hot deals as well.
Also, connect on Facebook or Instagram with your favorite brick-and-mortar retailers. Exclusive offers are often available through one channel only, and while it might bog down your newsfeed for a few weeks, you can always un-like after the holidays, and get a few hot deals for your trouble.
5. Have fun!
This was also the last tip in my early holiday shopping tips list, but it really is the most important. Stressing out like mad to save $50 on a Blu-Ray player is not worth it. If you know that going out at 4am to shop will make you cranky, stay home and wait for Cyber Monday specials to flow into your inbox or Twitter feed on Monday morning. If you love the rush of standing outside big box stores for a hot deal on a Crock Pot, then you should definitely do that. Enjoy the process!
Let me know your tips for Black Friday shopping in the comments!
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
5 Tips to Win RuPaul’s Drag Race
by Jamie Sanford on March 11, 2012
I am a gigantic fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and after watching 3.5 seasons of the show, I think I can give some solid advice to the fake ladies who are currently applying for a spot in the season 5 cast. I would love to hear from other fans of the show on their recommended tips for winning RuPaul’s Drag Race!
Buy all RuPaul albums and learn every word.
No queen in any season after the first one should be unprepared by not being intimately familiar with RuPaul’s albums. There are ALWAYS challenges related to Ru’s music, and I know I’m not the only one who notices Ru singing along to her own music at the end of every show. KNOW THE WORDS and SING THEM. It certainly can’t hurt for you to show Ru that you have done your homework.
Every month is gay history month.
Learn the business ladies. This week’s episode showed that there was a severe lack of gay history knowledge with some of the remaining queens. It seems obvious to me that this is another topic on which you should be well-versed in order to best prepare for slaying the competition. Note that Willam won the challenge last week with a boatload of Stonewall knowledge, but without a boatload of anything relevant on that boat. No shade though, that coat was fabulous.
Have a celebrity impersonation ready, and it better be flawless.
See Chad Michaels, season 4(image via Logo’s Tumblr), giving the best Cher since the actual Cher. Chad had the win ON LOCK – and it seems that at this point, no one should be showing up to compete in the show without being ready for the inevitable round of Snatch Game. Sharon Needles did her homework and it paid off in a big way. Pick your celebrity, get the look right, but also remember that it is meant to be funny.
PARIS IS BURNING.
LEARN IT, AND LEARN…IT…WELL!!
After viewing this brilliant 1990 documentary, you will see that RuPaul (and Ru’s friend and show judge Michelle Visage) lived this universe in the 80s in New York City – they aren’t in the film but have both shared that the ball scene was their world. RuPaul gives us phrases every week that appear in the film. Plus, like I said, it is a brilliant film and you should watch it anyway. (It is also available to stream on Netflix!)
Reading is fundamental.
This came up after this post first went up. Queens beware, you will have to read a bitch if you make it past the first few episodes. Prepare for that! I know that not all queens are into tossing insults at other people, but work up some wittiness in your mind so that you can be prepared for a reading challenge. The library is open!
Alright racers, what do you think? What are your winning tips for the upcoming queens of season 5?
{ Comments on this entry are closed }