Best Friday-After-Thanksgiving Sales in Beaverton, Oregon

Tips for Making the Most of the Busiest Shopping Day of the Year

If you live in the Portland/Metro area, you probably know about Fred Meyer’s annual Black Friday sale. There are a few “constants” you can count on year after year, and I am not just talking about the free donut holes and apple cider. All socks are 50% off, as well as slippers for the whole family.

There are always plenty of toys and electronics on sale each year too. I subscribe to BlackFriday.com which posts store’s After Thanksgiving sale prices long before the ads come out in the newspaper. This way I can be sure I have time to map my game plan for that Friday morning.

Fred Meyer on Walker Road in Beaverton opens at 5am the day after Thanksgiving and last year when we got there at 4:50, there was already a small line. Here are a few of my tips for making the most of your Black Friday shopping experience at Fred Meyer and where ever else the crazy morning takes you.

• Definitely subscribe to a Black Friday web site to get all the latest information on in store specials and sales. Why wait until Thanksgiving day to find out from the newspaper flyers what items each store will have on sale? Find out as soon as the information is available so you can map out your plan.

• Black Friday is a crazy day and a great way to make the most of it is to map out a plan. Decide which items you want and what stores you will need to visit. A store with lots of sales or with special “door busters” may need to be your first stop. Is there a hot toy or popular electronics item? Some of these things will go fast and stores stock them in limited numbers to get people through the doors. Figure out what item you want the very most and make sure you that store first. Realize that there are people out there who will buy up every single Bluetooth headset or Star Wars Lego x-Wing fighter, for example, and turn around and sell it on e-bay.

• Black Friday doesn’t have to be a stressful day. It can be lots of fun, especially if you go with friends. At the very least, you will have someone to stand with in those long lines.