PTS

The biggest shopping day of the year, the day after Thanksgiving, is fast approaching. I, for one, am getting ready. I’m setting my alarm for 4 a.m. to get used to the early start I’ll need to get that morning. I’m doing daily stretching exercises. I pushed an old lady down in Wal-Mart last night, just to practice for the big day.

Ok, none of that is totally true (or even slightly true), but I am planning on shopping on Friday. I’m posting this blog as a pre-Thanksgiving public service announcement for those of you who don’t know what this day is all about.

Post-Thanksgiving Shopping (or PTS) is an art, a dance maybe. The first step in being a strong PTSer is planning, or choreography (if I am going to stick with that dance analogy). PTS requires extensive research that involves the Thanksgiving newspaper, massive amounts of floor space to spread out ads, and a pen and notebook. On Thanksgiving day, while the non-PTSers are sleeping or watching football, settle down with the newspaper (and maybe another slice of pumpkin pie. You will need your strength tomorrow.)

Scour the ads. Read every inch of every flier. Keep your eyes open for the free-after-rebate items. Note store hours. Note sale hours (since store sometimes offer extra discounts during different hours). Note the giveaways. Save JC Penney’s for midmorning – they pass out chocolate, and again, you will need your strength. Make lists. Lists are essential to PTS. List the items that you want to pick up, the stores that you need to visit, the hours that you need to meet, and your order of attack. Are you taking notes?

Don’t assume that your favorite store should be your first stop. You can’t know this until you’ve done the research. Sure, you generally buy your DVDs at one particular place, but until you’ve exhausted the ads, you don’t know if that is where you’ll be getting DVDs tomorrow. Be smart; a little research today can save you time and money tomorrow.

I am a firm believer that to be a really effective PTSer, you need to shop tag-team style, so if possible, recruit a friend. Be aware of their stamina and their ability to recognize a good deal. Don’t tie yourself down with what will be a namby pamby shopping partner. PTS is better alone than with a whiner.

A PTS buddy allows one person to shop (notice I say “shop” and not “browse.” There’s no browsing in PTS) while the other stands in line. This is especially useful for the early morning hits and electronic stores. Lines form instantly when stores open or when electronics are involved. Knowing your ads, consulting your lists, and having the appropriate buddy can make you a force to be reckoned with at the sales. Don’t underestimate the power of shopping with a strategy.

Your first stop (and probably your second and third) will need to happen in rapid succession (as rapid a succession as can occur when you are 50th in line to checkout). Later in the day, the pace calms slightly. Now, you will be allowed a little more time to browse. The weaklings will be dropping out by then leaving only the late risers (pansies) and the hardcore PTSers (my friend Valarie is included in this last group. She and her aunt start before the sun rises on Friday and finish in the wee hours of Saturday morning. That is one hell of a shopper. ) Feel free to take a little more time in the stores in the afternoon. Look around. Branch out from the ads. Go back to JC Penney’s and get more chocolate.

So after all my strategizing and my planning on how to make the most of my PTS time since I have to work Friday, I got a call from my brother. Did you know that those PTS deals are valid online?