PORTLAND, OR, United States – Here in the United States, the day after Thanksgiving, is known as Black Friday. The day after turkey day is called this because as the first “official” shopping day of the Christmas season, Black Friday is the day that American retailers mark down prices dramatically to attract shoppers who seek deals, steals and hot prices.
Black Friday used to be a casual affair, where ladies would wake up at the crack of dawn and go down to the mall and feast upon the deals. However, rampant consumerism has turned Black Friday into a frenzy that is now headlined by stores opening at 4:00 AM to throngs of deal-hunting holiday shoppers who want good at cheap prices.
However, this is not the way all holiday shoppers need to conduct themselves on Black Friday. If you take a few minutes to arm yourself with a few key applications, you can make sure your Black Friday shopping trip goes off well and ensure you’re getting some good deals at the same time.
Foursquare shedding light on Black Friday
Foursquare, the popular check-in service, has tried this year to be a Black Friday resource. This actually makes a lot of sense, as Foursquare knows where you are and can help you discover deals that might be under your nose based on your location.
The easiest way to discover deals and promotions near you is to open the app (available for Symbian and Windows Phone devices alike) and go to the Explore tab and then hit the Specials button to find all the deals around you.
Also of note regarding Foursquare, the location based social service is a fantastic way to discover ways to re-fuel yourself whilst on the go. Check out the nearby list of coffee and dining establishments to warm your self with a nice caffeinated beverage before you head out for more deal snatching and bargain finding.
There are many specials running on Foursquare this Black Friday, see the graph below for a few selected deals.
Ensuring that promotional price is truly a deal
With promotional deals popping up across stores across America on Friday, shoppers can be misconceived. Sometimes promotional prices seem like a good deal, but truly aren’t. Enter ShopSavvy, a fantastic resource for scanning barcodes of many products and getting a greater deal of context surrouding the item in your hand.
From books to electronics to pet supplies and everything in between, ShopSavvy (available for Nokia Lumia devices and Symbian devices) enables you to scan barcodes and seek out reviews on the product along with the latest prices from stores in your vicinity and online as well.
On Windows Phone, products can be favorited and even added as a live tile for easy reference in the future.
Anyway – good luck picking up a bargain this Friday. Any other shopping tips for making the most of your mobile?
image credit: turtlemom4bacon and Kent Porter