With Black Friday just over a week away, you may be postponing your holiday shopping, waiting for that one day when stores open their doors at oh-dark-thirty, and let throngs of customers in on unheard-of deals not available at any other time of year. But did you know a lot of stores are already having “Black Friday” sales? Walmart did one a couple of weeks ago. Yes, the holiday season seems to come earlier each year. Certain card stores which shall remain nameless have had their ornament collection out since July. Buying Christmas tree ornaments in the middle of summer takes some of the fun out of the season. You know what puts it back? Saving a ton of money on great deals that you can now find via three great smartphone apps.
Overwhelming Offers for BlackBerry
Is it just me, or do many of the apps created for BlackBerry have overly cumbersome names? I guess you could do what this company does, and call them OO, but even that’s a little awkward. Anyway, the important thing is, the app can help you save some money on your holiday gift shopping. It works a little differently than other Black Friday apps in that it doesn’t just tell you about a special deal going on so you can go to the store and try to get in on it. It offers amazing prices and deals on merchandise, and then shoppers must compete to take advantage of them.
Don’t misunderstand—it’s not a game. It’s simply a matter of who can type faster. When an offer goes live (becomes available), you simply press the “Reserve” button. Next, you type the CAPTCHA code that pops up on the screen. But this only gets you halfway. This wins you a reservation, not the product itself. After making your reservation, you have three days to complete the purchase at the individual retailer’s website. Fail to do so and you lose your reservation, thereby losing out on the great deal. Deals via Overwhelming Offers sell out, literally, within seconds, so get those texting thumbs in shape. Overwhelming Offers is free, and can be downloaded from BlackBerry App World.
Black Flyday for Android
It’s no wonder Android devices have not only paralleled but surpassed the iPhone if just this one app is any indication of the quality tools available for the Android platform. Black Flyday isn’t just any Black Friday shopping app. It does much more than just list deals, and give users affiliate links to click on. It goes above and beyond to make the Black Friday shopping experience better than ever.
First, the app offers GPS tracking of deals available in your immediate area. No sense telling you about Black Friday deals for a retailer that doesn’t even have a store where you live, right? It also integrates social media networking, allowing you to update your Facebook friends on the latest deal you found so they can get in on it too, no matter where they may live. One of the coolest features has nothing to do with shopping at all—the app is available in both English and Spanish, opening up the action to many more people. There is one drawback. The app is free to download from Android Market on Black Friday, but to keep using it after that, it will cost you $9.99.
TGI Black Friday for iPhone
It used to be that you had no idea what kinds of deals retailers were going to be offering on Black Friday until you actually got into the store at 4:30 that morning, or whatever ridiculous time they opened. It was a bit of a crap shoot for everyone involved. Customers would line up at one popular store, hoping to find good merchandise at even better prices, and then as soon as the doors opened, word would get around about something better at the store across the street. It contributed to the chaos, and to lost sales. If customers knew what was going to be available at which stores and for how much, everyone could plan ahead and get what they wanted, whether it was gifts or profits.
Now retailers leak their ads several days, if not a couple of weeks before Black Friday. It’s odd to call it leaking since they all do it, and it’s becoming common practice now, but I guess that just adds to the feeling of getting something you can’t usually get. The TGI Black Friday app takes those leaked ads, and aggregates them into one place so you can see everything that will be offered in your area, and plan accordingly. The app also notifies you of pre-Black Friday sales, and indicates exactly how many Black Friday deals each retailer is offering. Use the integrated e-mail feature to share deals with friends, or drop hints about what you’re hoping to receive.
No matter which holiday you celebrate, have a happy one!
Photo courtesy ktbs.com
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