Black Friday shopping - Get sneak previews of the ads

Here in the U.S., the day after Thanksgiving, dubbed "Black Friday," is the busiest shopping day of the year. In order to stimulate sales, stores offer incredible deals, but only in limited quantity, and only for a limited time. In my town, people start lining up at 4 a.m. or earlier to snap up bargains when the stores open at 7:00.

You wonder why people would stand in line for several hours to save $50 on something they probably didn't need in the first place, and then once in the store start grabbing things left and right.

The explanation is Robert Cialdini's psychological principle of scarcity. When something is available in limited quantity ("only 7 items left") and/or for a limited time ("until 10 a.m. only") it's perceived as more valuable - and all the more so when others are competing for the same item.

When something is perceived as scarce, people feel a sense of urgency. They buy emotionally, without stopping to consider whether the purchase makes sense.

Another psychological principle in this situation is that of "social proof." When we see other people doing something, we tend to do the same - "monkey see, monkey do," as my mother used to say.

For example, if one pedestrian crosses a street when the light is red, then other pedestrians will follow. In retail stores, shoppers in a frenzy influence other shoppers to mindlessly gather up things as well.

Retailers know all this, and do everything they can to get people into the store, competing with one another for the merchandise.

In light of the above, do you still want to venture out on Black Friday? If so, you should go prepared. Get a sneak peak at the newspaper ads that list the blockbuster specials. Here are some websites that leak the deals early. You'll also find online deals (which in some cases are better than those at the actual brick-and-mortar stores):
BF Ads
Black Friday GottaDeal
BlackFridayAds
DealTaker


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