Tips To Help Shoppers Survive “Black Friday” (NAPSA)—Attention holiday shoppers: An online shoppingsite has been created to help consumers survive one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Known to some as “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving is thought by manyto be the unofficial kickoff of the holiday shopping season. It’s called “Black Friday” because that’s the day when retailers typically find themselves back in “the black.” ShopLocal.com is launching a Black Friday microsite (www. ShopLocal.com/BlackFriday) that will feature holiday sales alerts and gift ideas to help shoppers prepare for the day and the entire holiday shopping season. Visitors can also share their wish lists with family and friends and sign up to receive daily online deals making holiday shoppingeasier. In addition, the site offers a numberof tips for surviving Black Friday. Eva Yusa, also known as “Eva the Shopping Diva,” the Web site’s shopping expert and blogger, recommendsthe following: Prioritize—Hitting all the early-bird specials on Black Friday can be a challenge. Decide in advance what items you have to have and plan your day accordingly. Comparison shop online— It’s smart to compare prices via the Internet before venturing out to brave the crowds. ManyBlack Friday specials are available online with offers of free shipping. Plan ahead—Register in advance at ShopLocal.com to receive RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds featuring local circular ads. Die-hard shoppers can even have specific retailer circulars sent to them as soon as new editions are released. And don’t forget to use the Experts say going online to compareprices of items you just have to have is one way to reduce the stress of shopping on “Black Friday.” “deal finder” feature to connect to weekly promotions. Shop co-Op—It’s possible to cover more territory faster by shopping in a group. Haveindividuals go to different stores with everyone’s wish lists in hand. That way, when one person finds that special item, he or she can buyfor everyone. Learn from others—Message forums can feature comments from consumers on whereto find bargains, what’s hot, shopping secrets and more. “Black Friday is not a day when you want to enter a store without a game plan,” says Yusa. “This new site is designed to relieve some of the pressure of Black Friday shopping by encouraging consumersto start early and to use the Internet to determine what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay before hitting the stores.” For additional tips and online and in-store deals, visit www.ShopLocal.com/BlackFriday.
