Our TV guide for Black Friday

If you intend to use Black Friday as your springboard to high-definition television, here are 10 Quick Tips for making your shopping experience a rewarding one

1. Read the fine print. Ads for Black Friday are out now, so scour them for hard-to-meet terms and conditions. Many deals stipulate that you have to be shopping at the store during specific hours, require special coupons, or make you pay the full price up front, then file for a rebate (which can involve an arduous redemption process). Also, check the ads to see if the item you want is only available “in limited quantities,” which will likely be sold out by the time you get there. And “limited time” offerings may only be available for a very narrow window of time.
   
   
2. Ask if the store’s 30-day price guarantee is in effect for sale items. If so, you’ll be protected against any price drops either by that store or its competitors for that period of time. It’ll help you sleep better at night.
   
   
3. Weigh the difference in prices between respected, high-quality brands and lesser-known models, and compare Black Friday prices to the TV’s regular selling price. You may be able to get a better deal on a higher-quality set, even though its purchase price is higher.
   
   
4. Don’t let a low price be only reason for purchasing a TV. Decide on several models you’d like to own -- and the features you think you’ll need -- before you start your Black Friday shopping. That way, you’ll get the best deal on a set you’d really like to own, not just one that that’s comparatively cheap.
   
   
5. Value your time. If a store requires you to get up at 4:00 a.m. or stand in line for hours, it may not be worth saving an extra $100.
   
   
6. Check the store’s Web site to see if the in-store deals are available online, enabling you to avoid the hassle and crowds. Some retailers may even offer the Black Friday specials a few days early (as in right now). Some, like Wal-Mart, may have Web-only specials not available to in-store shoppers.
   
   
7. Check the store’s return policy, and make sure that Black Friday specials aren’t exempted, or shackled by high “restocking fees.”
   
   
8. If financing the TV through a store’s “no payment, no interest” promotion, make sure you pay off the set within the allotted time. Most of these programs will back-date interest to the time of purchase, and charge very high interest rates, which could easily wipe out any sales savings.



9. Pay with a credit card, but pay it off immediately if you can. Some credit card companies will mediate on your behalf if there’s a dispute. Also, some credit cards will double the manufacturer’s warranty.
   
   
10. Try and negotiate for a non-sale item. While many of the Black Friday promotional sets will be at all-time lows, there may still be some wiggle room on other -- often better -- sets that aren’t included in the promotions. The retail margins may be better on these sets, so the store could shave a few dollars off the price and still do better than with one of the promoted models. – James K. Willcox