5 Apps For Hacking Black Friday And Finding The Best Deals
(CBS SF) -- Long lines and heavy crowds can overwhelm even the savviest of shoppers in a mad dash to find the best deals over the Black Friday weekend.
If you prefer a more orderly experience compared to door-mobbing crowds, look no further than your smartphone to help save you a few bucks and keep your sanity.
1. PriceJump: This new comparison app from Savings.com scans over 5,000 retailer webites to give shoppers a snapshot of every available prices. All the searches show the best online price, the best local price (you can set your own radius up to 20 miles), and the best Amazon price. But beware: the app doesn't always factor in shipping and taxes costs. (Free, for iOS devices)
2. SplashShopper: Making a list? This smart list manager great for anytime of the year will help you search for gifts, organize them into different categorie and track prices. The app will also suggest items with estimated prices tailored to fit your budget. For the truly organized, it will also sync with desktop versions of the app, sold separately. ($1.99, for iOS, Android and BlackBerry devices)
3. Chameleon: This app gives shoppers points just for walking into their favorite stores. It also has guided maps of several malls to help you find the restroom and quickest route to different stores. A step further, it features user reviews that often tell you where in a store an item is. New this year: includes a guide to which stores accept Apple Pay. (Free, for iOS devices)
4. ShopSavvy: Shoppers can scan a product's barcode to find the best deals at major retailers, availability and more. You can also sign up for alerts on new deals and browse a comprehensive list of sales from hundreds of stores and brands, updated in real time. (Free, for iOS and Android devices)
5. Raise: Gift card marketplace Raise.com rolled out an app that lets shoppers save instantly by buying unused gift cards for less than their face value. In a matter of seconds, consumers can can find a discounted gift card from thousands of retailers, purchase it on their smartphone and then present a barcode at checkout. (Free, for iOS devices)
