There are Black Friday shoppers, and then there’s Steve Cohn. The 38-year-old Clifton, N.J., resident plans to be waiting outside Old Navy at 11 p.m. Thursday. The store opens at midnight and he wants to be one of the first in line for its free Xbox game giveaways if you spend $25.
Done with Old Navy by 1 a.m., he’ll then head home for three hours’ sleep only to wake up again at 4. Then it’s off to Wal-Mart, where they’re selling a $25 toaster for $3, and then possible stops at Target and Toys“R”Us.
Cohn should be done with his holiday shopping and back in bed by 7:30 a.m. Friday. “I’m efficient! It’s the strategy; you need to get in and get out,” said Cohn, who works as a sales analyst for Metro. “It’s pure adrenaline.”
He’s printed out maps of all the stores and highlighted where items are located. He created an Excel spreadsheet comparing prices and stores.
Insanity? Hardly, said Manhattanite Nicole Romanella: “I’m going to wake up at 2 a.m. on Friday and get outside Macy’s by 3. Now that there’s a Target in Manhattan I’ll go there, too. This year I want a TV for under $500.”
Cohn estimates he can save $200 a year by shopping on Black Friday.
Added Romanella, “I feel like this is the only way I can afford my Christmas shopping.”
Shop smart
» If stores do not post a policy, you have a right to a full refund within 30 days in the same manner in which you paid.
» Don’t buy counterfeit or “pirated” goods. They cost 1 in 5 jobs in NYC, and the city loses millions in tax revenue.
» Use credit cards, not debit.
» Never toss credit-card receipts into a public trash container. Always shred them at home, according to Adam Levin of Identity Theft 911.
» Preserve neighborhood shops by shopping on the nation’s first-ever Small Business Saturday on Nov. 27th.
