9 Black Friday Shopping Tips That Keep Your Closet Small
Most of us like a good deal, which is why Black Friday shopping tips show up everywhere in November. The sales are loud too, with emails from early November and countdown timers on every page.
The hard part isn’t finding deals. It’s knowing which ones we’ll be glad about in January.
Is this price really lower than usual? Do I need a new coat, or do I just like this one? And what happens to the 4 things in the cart after the parcel arrives?
It’s a question we face every November, too.
If you’re looking for Black Friday shopping tips that save money without filling the closet, the secret is to decide what you need before the sales start, and to let the deals come to your list instead of the other way around.
In this post I show you 9 calm steps that take you from your closet to the return window.
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What Is a Black Friday Wish List?
A Black Friday wish list is a short list of things you already planned to buy, written before the sales start, with a price you’d be happy to pay for each one.
It works like a filter. Deals that match the list are worth a look, and everything else is just noise.
Why does a Black Friday sale feel so different from a normal one? Because it’s built to feel like an event.
There’s a date, and there’s the feeling that everyone else is buying right now.
Here in Hungary we simply use the English name, Black Friday, and many shops stretch it into a whole week or more.
9 Black Friday Shopping Tips, From the Closet to the Return Window
The first 4 tips belong at home in early November. The last 5 are for the day itself and the weeks after it.
Before the Sales Start
1. Start with your closet
Before you look at a single deal, open your closet and look at what you wore in the last month.
Notice the gaps. Maybe your winter boots are worn through.
The closet tells you what you need. The ads only tell you what’s on sale.
Take a photo of each shelf while you’re there, so you can check it on the day.
Related post: If your closet feels too full to even see the gaps, start with my post on how to declutter your closet this fall before back to school.
Spend 10 minutes in front of your closet this week and write down 2 real gaps.
2. Write a short wish list with a price for each item
Now write the list. 3 to 5 things is plenty, and each one gets a price you’d happily pay.
Be specific: a navy wool sweater under $80, not just a sweater.
A list on the fridge works better, because you see it every morning.
A specific list makes the decision before the sale does.
Put your list somewhere you’ll walk past every day until Black Friday.
3. Check the normal price 2 weeks before
Look up the things on your list now, write down today’s price, and check again on the day.
Which?, the UK consumer group, tracked 227 Black Friday deals from 2023 and found that 92% of them were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year. It looked at home and tech, but the lesson fits clothes too.
If you don’t know the normal price, you can’t know if the deal is real.
Next to each item on your list, write today’s price in pencil.
4. Mute the shop emails for the week
Countdown timers are made to rush us, and they work.
In a field experiment published in Information and Management, Yi Wu and his colleagues found that limited time and limited quantity offers made shoppers more excited, and that excitement led to more impulse purchases.
Move the shop newsletters into a separate folder for the week.
Fewer emails means fewer decisions you didn’t plan to make.
Make a Black Friday folder in your inbox tonight and send every sale email there.
On the Day and After
5. Cover the was price and decide again
A crossed out price makes everything look like a win. Cover it with your thumb, or scroll so you can’t see it, and ask one question: would I buy this at the price I see now?
In the US, the FTC’s Guides Against Deceptive Pricing say a former price should be one the item was really offered at for a reasonably long time. That’s why your own price notes from tip 3 matter more than any red banner.
If you only like it because of the discount, the discount is the product.
Related: The thumb trick comes from my list of 10 questions to ask before buying clothes you’ll actually wear, and the other 9 work on Black Friday too.
Try the thumb trick on the first deal you see, even if it’s not clothing.
6. Set a cart limit and wait overnight
Before you start, decide 2 things: how much you’ll spend in total, and how many items can go in the cart.
Fill the cart, then close the laptop and look at it again the next morning.
So here’s a simple rule: anything that wasn’t on the list waits 24 hours.
Write your total limit on the top of your wish list before the sales start.
7. Read the return policy before you pay
The National Retail Federation reported that retailers expected 16.9% of their 2024 sales to be returned, and that their winter holiday return rate would be about 17% higher than usual.
Before you pay, check how many days you have for returns. And look for the words final sale, because many shops won’t take sale pieces back.
A final sale piece needs to pass every test before you buy it.
When the parcel comes, try everything on with the tags still on.
Put the last return date for each order in your calendar the day you buy.
8. Buy gifts from a list, not from the deals
Black Friday is a smart time for Christmas gifts, if you already know who gets what.
Write the names first, with one idea and a budget for each person.
A random gift bought on sale is still a random gift.
For ideas, see my post on 17 Christmas gift ideas for women who say they want nothing.
Add a gift section to your wish list, one line per person.
9. Mend before you replace
Sometimes the thing we want to replace only needs 5 minutes of care.
I mend everything I think can still be worn. A loose button or a small tear in a seam is never a reason for me to throw a piece out.
A small sewing kit fixes most of it, and a fabric shaver takes the pills off a sweater in minutes.
The cheapest Black Friday deal is the coat you already own, with all its buttons back on.
Before you buy a replacement, try to fix the old piece once.
The Best Deal Might Be the One You Skip
A sale can make us spend more.
When a $90 coat is $45, it feels like we earned $45. But if the coat wasn’t on the list, we simply spent $45.
Saving money and spending less aren’t the same thing.
So on Black Friday, every item you leave in the cart counts as a win too.
We rarely see what our Black Friday cart is made of until the parcels arrive. So let’s look before you pay: move the two sliders below and see how much of your cart is the sale talking.
What your Black Friday cart really holds
Set your planned total and how much of it was on your list before the sales started. The numbers below use real research on prices and returns, not guesses.
A good part of this cart is the sale talking. Leave those pieces in the cart overnight and see how many you still want in the morning.
Where the numbers come from: the return figure uses the NRF and Happy Returns 2024 report, where retailers expected 16.9% of sales to be returned and holiday return rates about 17% higher, so about 19.8% of a holiday cart. The price figure comes from Which?, which tracked 227 Black Friday deals from 2023 in the UK. Your own cart can be better or worse than these averages.
Related: For a calmer way of thinking about wanting things, read my post on how to stop wanting new things and start living a simple life.
Black Friday Week, Step by Step
A simple plan for the week
2 weeks before: check your closet and write the list, with today’s price next to each item.
The weekend before: mute the shop emails and set your total limit.
On Black Friday: open only the pages for your list, then leave the cart overnight.
The week after: try everything on with the tags still on and return what doesn’t fit your week.
Mistakes to skip
| Mistake | Do this instead |
| Shopping without a list | Write 3 to 5 needs before the sales start |
| Trusting the was price | Compare it with the price you noted 2 weeks before |
| Buying because stock is low | Wait until morning, most deals stay |
| Ignoring final sale | Read the return policy before you pay |
| Buying 3 sizes to try | Measure yourself and check the size chart |
Black Friday Shopping Checklist
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Black Friday Shopping Tips: What Readers Ask Me Most
What are the best Black Friday shopping tips for clothes?
The best Black Friday shopping tips for clothes are to write a short list before the sales and to check normal prices 2 weeks ahead. On the day, cover the was price and ask if you’d buy the piece at the price you see.
Is Black Friday worth it for clothes?
Black Friday is worth it for clothes when the piece is already on your list and the price is really lower than usual. Many deals aren’t: Which? found 92% of the deals it tracked were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year.
How do I make a Black Friday shopping list?
To make a Black Friday shopping list, start with your closet and write down the 2 or 3 real gaps you find. Add planned gifts with one idea per person. Give every item a price you’d happily pay, and keep the list to 3 to 5 things for yourself.
How do I stop impulse buying on Black Friday?
The easiest way to stop impulse buying on Black Friday is to put a night between the cart and the payment. Mute the sale emails and let anything that wasn’t on your list wait 24 hours. A total spending limit, set before the sales start, makes the cart easier to close.
How can I tell if a Black Friday deal is real?
A Black Friday deal is real when the price is lower than what the item usually costs, not just lower than the crossed out price. Write down the price 2 weeks before and compare it on the day. A crossed out was price on its own doesn’t prove anything.
Should I buy clothes on Black Friday or wait for January sales?
Whether to buy clothes on Black Friday or in January depends on when you need them. If your coat is worn out now, a good price on a piece from your list makes sense. If it can wait, January sales sometimes go even lower on winter clothing.
Recommended Reading
10 Questions to Ask Before Buying Clothes You’ll Actually Wear
A Simple Capsule Wardrobe for Every Season
How to Have a Minimalist Christmas Without Losing the Magic
What I’d Want to Feel in January
Black Friday lasts a few days. The closet we build with it stays with us all winter.
So maybe the best question is how we’ll feel when we open the closet in January.
A few good pieces we reach for every week. And some money left for the things that matter more than a sale.
For me, that’s what a good Black Friday really looks like: fewer bags, and no returns to send back.
What’s the one thing on your list this year?
