Black Friday is here and that means shoppers are out to snag the best deals on a few items. The date and time keep changing as it gets earlier and earlier every year. But the idea is still the same. Just about every store out there has some sort of deal or sale on select items. These deals are often too good to be true but they are. The catch is that only a few items are in stock and you may not get what you want. Therein lies a problem, everyone will be rushing to get the items on sale before they sell out. Safety should always be the priority and these Black Friday shopping tips could help you with that.
Black Friday driving tips might be more important than Black Friday shopping tips because no one wants to wrap gifts in a hospital bed.
Crashes Spike
Interestingly enough, insurance companies have reported in the past that car accidents spike during Thanksgiving week. That is because a lot of people travel for Thanksgiving. But also because a lot of people are driving to stores on Black Friday or Thursday as it were. Car accidents increase by at least 34% on Black Friday specifically. This means the need for Black Friday driving tips is real. In fact, over 70 million people are out shopping on Black Friday. That makes roads and parking lots filled with just as much danger if not more danger than the checkout lines.
Take it Slow and Plan Ahead
You should definitely do your research as to what the stores will have what deals and then rank them from most important to least. You can use that information to help plan out a route you will take. This is important because you don’t want to be scrambling around in a panic putting yourself at risk. But this also gives you a chance to find out the first stop on your list and when they will open. The idea is that you can be fully prepared for when you will need to leave so you aren’t speeding in a frenzy trying to make it to the store on time.
Take a Walk
Most people drive around parking lots for hours on Black Friday. Their goal is to find the closest parking spot to the store so they don’t have to walk as far. Don’t do that. Be okay with a walk, no matter how far from the store. Most parking lot accidents happen closer to the store for this very reason. The further away from the store you park, the lower your risk of a parking lot accident. Of course, this isn’t to say that you should walk from home to the store. But don’t stress over finding a parking spot right in front of the store. Not to mention, you will have a lower risk of dings or scratches if you are parked in a less populated part of the parking lot.
Pedestrians
Shoppers will be walking around stores all across the country, some may even be running and pushing their way through. But that chaos will spill out into the parking lot. That means it is up to everyone to make sure they are paying attention to the parking lot. You should also be even more aware as most shoppers leaving stores will have their hands full and may not be paying attention. It is important that you pay attention to them, even if they don’t need the help. The goal should be not to injure anyone in the parking lot. To reach that goal you will need these Black Friday driving tips, shopping tips, and to pay attention. It is absolutely irresponsible of any pedestrian to not pay attention to where they are going. However, it is yours too as the driver who is driving through the parking lot.
