Money Matters, Simplified.
Top 10 Apps for Black Friday 2011
Want to make shopping on Black Friday a much smoother and smarter experience? Try these apps.
Mon, 11/21/2011 - 13:36 by Jaspreet Virk
Last year, we brought apps to your notice to beat the deluge of shoppers that is an inevitability on Black Friday. Given that a year is enough time in the tech world for those apps to become obsolete, we checked the app markets again, and found these 10 apps to be the best to help you save your money, your time and, most importantly, your sanity this Black Friday.
Most of the apps are available for both iPhone and Android, unless otherwise mentioned.
TGI Black Friday
The first thing to do in preparation for this Friday is to check out all the deals available.
TGI Black Friday will not only help you search over 10,000 Black Friday deals across stores and compare prices, but will also show you what the major retailers like Best Buy, Target and Walmart are advertising.
It even offers updates on leaked ads and sends out alerts whenever a new ad is posted.
Moreover, unlike many apps, TGI Black Friday also gives you the option to download ads in PDF format, just in case you need to prove to the salesperson that an offer really exists.
ShopSavvy
Often we love the product, but not the price. With ShopSavvy, you can find a better one.
The app scans the bar code and generates results for matching products at other stores. You can compare prices, read reviews of products, write your own reviews and share the information with friends by email, Facebook or Twitter.
ShopSavvy also provides retailers' location, directions to get there and phone numbers.
Price Check
This app is quite similar to ShopSavvy, the only difference being that it compares prices with Amazon.com, its creator.
You can scan the bar code, snap a picture of the item, speak its name into the mic or just type the name in a search box. Price Check will instantly show you the same product at Amazon.com.
Gift List
Black Friday is the best time to buy gifts on discount, and setting up a budget is the proper way to go about it. The problem arises when you end up losing track in the rush of shopping.
Take help from Gift List, which keeps a running tally, giving you an idea on how much you have spent per person. It's only available for iPhone though.
Fast Mall
Fast Mall lets you download maps of more than 1250 malls, which you can navigate later on without using GPS or WiFi. So while you are busy holiday shopping this season, ensure that you don't lose precious minutes hunting down the nearest restroom or the quickest route to your favorite store.
Sale Saver LT
As every second is important on Black Friday, don't waste time in calculating what that 53 percent discount would mean when there is an app to take care of it.
Apart from a fast sale price calculator, the iPhone only app also features an automatic tax calculator that gives you the final price adjusted for local tax rate.
ShopStyle
Bringing together all the 'High Street' shops and designer brands, this iPhone only app helps in browsing and searching latest fashions by brand store, size or price.
You can view the details of products and if you run into something you want, you can make a direct purchase. Just click on the 'Buy' button.
Decide
Completely focused on electronics, this iPhone app helps you decide about the products you want to buy by advising you on prices at various stores, any expected price cuts and whether a new model is coming. For instance when we searched for HTC EVO 3D 4G, the app told us to wait for prices to drop.
GasBuddy
Though the online shopping trend is rising, majority of the buying on Black Friday is done at brick and mortar stores. Commuting from store to store can push up your fuel cost. With GasBuddy, you can locate gas stations offering the cheapest gasoline in the city.
Lemon
Let's accept it. Often in a hurry to snatch up Black Friday deals, we buy impulsively and end up with gifts that might not be so suitable for the ones receiving them. Most retailers accept returns but not without receipts, which we often misplace. Lemon can help here.
Just scan all receipts through your phone and the app will convert them into digitized copies that can be printed when needed. Lemon also uses these receipts to come up with helpful reports, showing you how you are spending your money.
