Black Friday and Super Saturday are, without a doubt, two of the most hyped (and busiest) shopping days of the holiday season. Black Friday is known as the unofficial start of the shopping season, and is loaded with heavy discounts and sales that draw masses of deal seekers while Super Saturday gives us amazing opportunities for both in-store and online sales that are hard to ignore.
Although, ever since the introduction of these 2 retail powerhouses, Black Friday has always been the undisputed champion of retail marketing promotions, things have taken a very interesting turn lately. In fact, for the past 3 years, Black Friday is not the busiest day of the holiday season anymore. In 2016 alone, more than 155 million Americans went shopping on Super Saturday, according to a National Retail Federation & Prosper Insights & Analytics survey. This means that some 66% of fellow people chose to do their holiday shopping on Super Saturday, rather than Black Friday. The whys behind this are not fully understood yet, but that’s ok! As long as we can get products on discount, we really don’t care who wins this race. What is important, though, is to be able to land on the best deals and enjoy super savings. Here are some ideas.
When Is Super Saturday?
Super Saturday is always the last Saturday before Christmas. So in 2017, Super Saturday will be on December 23rd.
Super Saturday: What to Expect
For those of you that have never gone shopping on Super Saturday before, things might be a bit challenging because you probably don’t know what to expect. The truth is that Super Saturday attracts the Christmas procrastinators, as opposed to Black Friday that is dominated by extreme bargain hunters. Another thing is that Super Saturday is really one of the last opportunities to finish buying presents while for many people, it is the start of their gift buying expedition. So, in its essence, Super Saturday is the day for last-minute crowds that desperately need to find specific-item markdowns or percentage-off discounts, which is exactly what they will get that day. Now, when it comes to ensuring your Super Saturday is packed with great savings, here are some tips to snag Super Saturday bargains.
Know What To Buy
Pretty much like Black Friday, and all sales to be frank, Super Saturday deals are focused on specific products, especially clothing. For example, last year, we saw winter apparel around 50% (sometimes, even 70%) off due to the unusually warm weather we had. That pushed retailers to slash prices on winter wear.
However, you will definitely find markdowns on home appliances and toys too. This is particularly accurate for toys because Christmas marks the end of the “toy season”, which urges retailers and toy companies to move their inventory the soonest possible. Therefore, although gifts for the little ones see big price cuts on Black Friday, even bigger ones can be found the more we approach Christmas. So, don’t be surprised if you see toy sales that go up to 50% or even 60%.
Another area to keep in mind for significant discounts is the TV department. Super Saturday is tied to fantastic deals on mid-sized TVs, ranging between 30 and 40 inches. To increase your savings even more, look for TVs that come with an added offer, such as a Blu-ray player, soundbars, or a gift card.
Now, there are many shoppers that will try to seek out shoe deals on Super Saturday. Although there is nothing wrong with that idea, it is best to leave it for another day because statistics show that Super Saturday shoe deals are not the best you can find at that time of the year. So, it is much more preferred to wait for end of season sales or better shoe deals that you will certainly find later on.
Finally, if you want to buy Christmas decorations, artificial trees, garlands, and wrapping paper, you will find the cheapest pieces right before or after Christmas, like on Super Saturday. However, you won’t have much time to enjoy your festive trimmings as you will literally be racing to set everything up for Christmas the very last minute (although you can find fantastic deals for these items – maybe stack up for next year?).
Take Advantage of Extended Hours
With Christmas fast approaching, shoppers and retailers alike are under enormous pressure. The first are eager to finish their holiday shopping while the latter want to benefit from the increased traffic to make the most possible sales and boost their revenue. For that reason, the majority of retailers are extending their hours. This means that you can shop longer and also have the time to do some shopping around before you jump into taking the first markdown that comes your way.
So, whether you are an early bird or a night owl, you will have lots of opportunities to find and grab some really nice deals almost around the clock. For example, Macy’s is keeping its doors open at 7 a.m. and some of their stores will shut down their blinds well after midnight. This started in 2011 and has become a tradition for the large retail chain. This is also the deal with Target, Sears, and many more stores. There are also stores that will remain open on a 24-hour basis (i.e. Kohl’s), which gives you ultimate freedom and flexibility to do your holiday shopping and find the best deals. It is also a great chance for those of you that work unconventional hours to hit the stores, when the shopping traffic is significantly low. Before you begin your shopping spree, though, take note than stores in some areas have different hours due to state or municipality laws. The best thing you can do is just call the store(s) you are planning to visit on Super Saturday and ask their shopping hours.
Download Shopping Apps
One of the most effective ways to find the best deal year round is through using shopping apps that have been designed to save you money. Some of the best apps in this category are:
ShopSavvy (Android, iOS) – It will help you search for an item or scan barcodes to look up the best prices at top shops and retailers throughout America. It is also easy to find and track the latest sales of stuff you are interested in, as well as set an alert that notifies you when a product you are looking for has a special deal.
RetailMeNot (Android, iOS) – It is a coupon and discount hunting app, with not only food offers from 1000s of local and nationwide restaurants, but also deals from over 50,000 retailers. You can choose to get personalized offers or the most popular deals, or even utilize its location-based features and search for deals at malls, shopping destinations, and eateries around where you live.
Slickdeals (Android, iOS) – This app gathers the best deals, from clothing and electronics to local deals and groceries, and puts them in a single place. You can also set deal alerts for specific categories or products, among others.
Shopular (Android, iOS) – The great thing about this app is that its presentation is more focused than the other money-saving apps in this category. It sorts deals based on the stores that are around you and allow you to filter by proximity. That aside, it also has a feature that notifies you of the latest deals when you enter a mall or store. Plus, you can get weekly offers, deals, and coupons from the likes of Macy’s, Walmart, Target, and more.
Shop All Weekend
If, for some reason, you miss out on Super Saturday’s deals, there is plenty of time to get significant markdowns on Sunday as well. Truth be told, Super Saturday gets the hype for better bargains. Fortunately, you have a pretty good chance to find major sales on Sunday too. Remember that it is the time of the year when retailers want to meet their last-quarter goals and the clock is ticking for them! So, they will bend over backwards to get more sales by offering discounts on other days besides Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Super Saturday.
Use Super Saturday Coupons
With 85% of Americans using coupons and 42% of consumers saving more than $30 per week using coupons, it goes without saying that doing a coupon search before you start making your holiday purchases should be a priority. To maximize your earnings, make sure you combine the product sales on Super Saturday with a stackable coupon.
Coupon Sherpa is a great resource for Super Saturday coupons and sales. Many of the retailers listed there also offer promo codes and free shipping deals, among many others, so it is definitely worth checking them out. Don’t underestimate the power of online coupons; you may as well find better coupons online than in-store! And, if you want to avoid dealing with crowds, you can always use a coupon and buy online, and then pick up in store.
Whatever you do, there is no doubt that you will save a lot of money this weekend. Now, if you want make it easier and more fun for you, print out the tips we shared today and plan your purchases accordingly!
Happy shopping and…saving!
