Black Friday: Rory's vowels of advice
Don’t be the person with 276 toasters just because they were on special, says Rory (We have NO idea where Rory’s brain goes sometimes).
A: Ask
Ask a friend or family member if Black Friday is really something which you need to be engaging in. Friends and family usually know best. They will know if you're the kind of person to buy 276 toasters for R8 each just because they're on special. Don't be the multiple toaster person. You only ever need one toaster at a time, regardless of what they cost.
Read: The South African Black Friday Survival Guide
E: Educate yourself
You need to know where you can find the best deals with minimum effort before you pack your tent into your car on the Tuesday night to camp outside the shopping centre. No use camping outside a shop for three nights only to find it doesn't sell toasters, or worse, it doesn't participate in Black Friday. So, do your research beforehand.
I: Is this something you need?
If you're buying something only because it has been marked down to R12 and not because you actually need it, you're not saving money, you're spending it. The idea of you putting all the ingredients into a bread maker at night so your family has homemade fresh bread in the morning is rubbish. The novelty will wear off within 9 days and you'll have an extra appliance taking up space on the kitchen counter. It will serve as an eternal reminder of your stupidity.
O: Owing money
Don't be ridiculous. Think of it like packing a suitcase. Do you really need everything in that suitcase? Are you still going to be happy with yourself in a year when you're still paying for toasters and bread makers that you no longer use? Don't owe money. Take cash. Leave all your cards at home. Owing money for something you no longer use or even have is like being convicted of something you didn't do.
U: Unhappiness
Unhappiness and general discontent with life cannot be fixed by toasters for R8, nor long queues at the cashier and then the parking ticket machine and then the parking lot exit and then the traffic lights outside the mall. If you're unhappy and think a toaster might change that, you need to go back to my first bit of advice and ask a friend. A friend is what you need, not 552 slices of bread being toasted simultaneously.
Happy shopping this Black Friday. Be safe out there!