Black Friday Shopping, Meet Monday

It’s that time of year again. The scents of roast turkey and apple pie waft through your home. The cool outdoor air hints at the impending winter. Your family comes in from all corners of the country to gather for this memorable day. Your mailbox and inbox are bombarded with reminders about this very special event: Black Friday.

Learn from your Black Friday 2017 mistakes

This year, you say, won’t be like last year. Last year you overslept (no thanks to that extra slice of turkey). You were in too much of a hurry and skipped breakfast, the necessary fuel you needed to elbow your way through the crowds. You arrived to the first shop too late and the items your family asked Santa for were sold out. You were over budget, buying things you didn’t need because dazzling signs made you think it was a good idea.

You’ve learned from your 2017 Black Friday mistakes, but you’re not one to throw in the towel and denounce this holy day for the easier Cyber Monday shopping that gets done in a few measly clicks. No, you crave the high of getting to the store first, picking out the exact Lego set your nephew asked for, and watching the cashier scan it through as the discounted price sparkles on the monitor right before your eyes. Every serious shopper knows that Black Friday isn’t about the discounts. It’s about the experience, the thrill, it’s about beating the person next to you to the shelf to save $20.

This year you need a plan

You need a strategy. You need a strict budget, a schedule, and a dedicated team of shoppers. You’ve clipped out dozens of fliers, printed out pages of sale items, meticulously highlighted and vigorously circled, cross-referenced store opening hours, and recruited your in-laws who insisted on staying over for the weekend to help you. And to bring this all together, to make sure your 2018 Black Friday shopping is a success, you need a project management tool. This Black Friday, you need Monday.

Integrate wish lists

Gone are the days of your children writing up cute wish lists in crayons to hang on the fridge. Today, you’re more likely to get a text message with a link to the overpriced items your kids absolutely need. Instead of sifting through old texts and emails to find all those items, simply add them to your Monday wish list board, add the links, and enjoy everything all in one place. To make this process even smoother, onboard your kids to Monday. The program’s file sharing feature will make it even easier for them to directly upload images or links of their coveted items directly to your board.

Make a plan and manage your time

Once you’ve organized your route for all the stores you want to hit, you can then decide on a timeline. When to arrive to the store, how long it will take you to collect your items and wait in line, getting back in the car and exiting the parking lot are all important timing factors that can make or break your Black Friday shopping success. With Monday’s excellent time management tools, you can set a timeline to stick to, and easily drag and drop items on your board for those last-minute adjustments.

Add your team to your board

Team collaboration is one of the most important aspects of getting your Black Friday shopping done right. After all, you’re only one person, and you can only snag up the most coveted items one at a time. Delegating and assigning specific tasks will help you cover more ground in a shorter amount of time. Create a board with your whole Black Friday team, assign stores, specific items, and timelines. This holiday, dividing and conquering is a much better strategy than trying to get everything done on your own.

Store everything in one place

Last year you ran around the stores with dozens of crumpled fliers in hand. You circled the items you wanted, but by the time you flipped through each flier to remember which gifts you needed to get, they were already gone. It’s 2018; ditch the fliers. Monday’s mobile app makes it easy to upload all the fliers, clippings, and online links to one place, so you don’t need to waste time while you’re in the store. No need for confusing spreadsheets or printed lists. Now your entire shopping list and Black Friday strategy are available at your fingertips. And the best part? Your whole team will have access through mobile too, and since you were so specific and meticulous in adding in all the item details, there is no way anyone can purchase the headphones your daughter wanted in white instead of metallic rose gold. Crisis averted.

Keep the lines of communication open

It’s the big day. All your Black Friday planning and strategizing has lead to this. The last thing you want today is for the team to fall apart due to lack of communication. But thanks to Monday’s integrated chat feature, that won’t happen. No need to text everyone individually and coordinate between different people. Chat with the whole team at once from your mobile, and get instant updates about your team’s progress.

Get real-time notifications and reports

Get notified as soon as someone crosses an item off your Black Friday shopping list, if they couldn’t find something, or if they’re stuck in an absurdly long line. This way you can take action as issues arise instead of having unpleasant surprises at the end of the day. Access real-time reports and track how close you are to the finish line (and by association, how close you are to getting home to sneak that leftover slice of apple pie before anyone else notices).

Thanks to Monday’s exceptional project management tool, you’ve mastered the art of Black Friday shopping. Never again will you be running around, fliers clutched haphazardly in hand, missing the things you came for and leaving the store instead with another kitchen appliance that will probably never leave its box. Now is the time to relax and relish in the success of crossing every item off your list. Take the time to congratulate your team. Review your reports and see where you can improve for next year. Most importantly, enjoy the last leftover slice of apple pie. You earned it.

With all the pressure of the holidays, we decided to have a little fun with project management tools. This article is a parody. However, if you find that your Black Friday shopping can be better organized by implementing a project management tool, we won’t blame you.