I go shopping every year on Black Friday, its been a tradition for me for about 14 years now and I love it.  The excitement of the deals, the rush of all the people, the hot chocolate at 3 am, you just can’t beat it.  I normally hate to wait in lines but for some reason on Black Friday it really doesn’t matter, all that matters is having fun, spending money and shopping till we drop!

I am so excited to be a part of a new website created by Collective Bias called mybfdeals.com.  Here is the press release about the project:

November 25, 2009 – Bentonville, AR – Collective Bias, an interactive marketing firm that connects brands with shoppers at the store shelf by facilitating conversation and building relationships, has partnered with Whrrl, a location based mobile application that lets people capture and share the stories of their lives one moment at a time, to create a unique platform that helps shoppers find the best deals on Black Friday.

Twenty bloggers, led by well-known mom bloggers Melissa Garcia, the “money-saving” Consumer Queen, and Courtney Velasquez of Giftfully Simple, will hit stores on Black Friday and upload photos and tips through Whrrl to My Black Friday Deals.

Visitors are encouraged to check the website throughout the days leading up to Black Friday and then all day, Friday November 27th, 2009 to find the best deals at nationwide chains and local stores, and to find the best prices on the biggest shopping day of the year. Visitors can vote for the deals they like the best, and the participating blogger with the most votes on a deal will receive Google Analytics training or tech/design assistance for his or her blog.

“We wanted to integrate a strong social media campaign to show the power that the average person or blogger has to reach so many others,” said John Andrews, Managing Partner of Collective Bias. “By working with bloggers, Whrrl and social media sites, we can effectively spread this idea like wildfire.”

My Black Friday Deals will also be promoted through channels like Flickr, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook to reach a wider audience.

About Collective Bias
The first company of its kind, Collective Bias offers an alternative to the traditional agency model. Formed at the nexus of and Social Media and Shopper Marketing, we address the need for a comprehensive approach to facilitate ongoing conversations amongst brands, retailers and consumers. Our philosophy is to build true relationships between brands and consumers that make those consumers “part of something” and engender a sense of ownership that manifests itself in advocacy.

About Whrrl
Whrrl v2.0 lets people capture and share the stories of their lives, one moment at a time. Whrrl is a product of Pelago, a Seattle-based company led by an executive team from companies including Amazon, RealNetworks and Yahoo. Pelago is backed by pioneering Internet and mobile investors including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Bezos Expeditions, T-Venture, Trilogy Equity Partners and Reliance Technology Ventures.

Contact
Susan Payton, media contact
susan@eggmarketingpr.com
501.318.8925
My Black Friday Site: http://mybfdeals.com/
My Black Friday Flickr Photo Stream: http://www.flickr.com/groups/bfdeals/

I also wanted to share with you a few things we do every year to make our Black Friday shopping run smoothly.

• I start by looking at the ads online and making a list of the items I am interested in, I try to figure out how much I  may spend then, I go to Giant Eagle and buy gift cards to shop with.  Why? Because Giant Eagle usually is giving double fuelperks on gift cards around this time and not only do I get good deals but I earn a free tank of gas (or two!)
• Once I get the paper on  Thanksgiving I go through the ads and put post it notes on the cover of each ad with a list of what I am looking for and the page it is on in the ad for quick reference
• We plan our shopping route based on the deals we want most and what time the stores open.  We usually start out at Kohl’s at 4 am and are done in time to get to Target by 5 am for the start of their sale, then we go from there based on what we want most.
• I carry a small back pack type purse so I don’t have to worry about laying it down somewhere, or lugging it around on my shoulder all day.  I always have a bottle of water and a snack tucked inside too!  I also carry all of the ads into all of the stores, you never know who my be price matching another store.
• I never wear a coat, gets in the way, weighs me down, makes me hot! It can be a bit cold waiting outside a store a 4 am but the rush of the shop warms you up really fast!
• Must fold the back seats down in the van to carry all the cargo. lol
• We tag team shop.  This works really well at Toys r Us and Walmart, those stores seem always seem to have the longest lines.  One of us gets into the check out line or the line for a particular item (like a laptop) along with a shopping cart while the other shops and brings items back to the cart, then we switch.  By the time we are done shopping it is our turn to check out!
• Another way we tag team shop is by shopping in 2 different cities.  While we are shopping in Pittsburgh at say Target, my family in Erie is shopping at Walmart.  We text or call each other and get the deals that each other wants at the store we are at.  That way we can basically be in 2 locations at one time and get the early bird deals.
• Where I live the stores are all really close so usually after we have completed the early bird rush for deals we sometimes go back to a store we have been at already.  We usually end up back at Kohl’s and the second time around we shop for clothing and things that are not in such a high demand early but are really good deals.
• My Black Friday philosophy ~ GRAB AND GO! No window shopping, no “looking around” you need to know what you want before you get there and shop for that or you will waste valuable time getting to the next location.

Wow! I’m getting giddy just thinking about Black Friday! 28 hours to go!

Make sure you stop by and join the excitement! It is going to be a one of a kind experience.  Follow our fun on Twitter and Whrrl we will be using the hashtag #BFDeals

Happy shopping!!!!

~Kim