Black Friday from the comfort of your home

A crowd gathers as security officers break up a fight between shoppers waiting in line for Black Friday shopping at Target, Thursday, November 22, 2012, In Bowling Green, Ky. (AP Photo/ Daily News, Alex Slitz)

One of the things that I dislike the most about the holiday season are the large crowds at retail stores. Retailers in the U.S. make most of their sales during the months of November and December, so they ramp-up marketing strategies to get people through the door by advertising closeout deals on popular consumer goods.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving shopping, marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season for many retailers. It used to be that shoppers would line up outside store fronts around 4 to 5 a.m. on Friday. However, this strategy has changed, and in some cases, stores are now opening their doors as early as  5 p.m. on Thanksgiving. The whole idea of standing in line for hours to grab a deal has made me wonder about the real savings some of these retailers are advertising.

Weeks before Black Friday, consumers are bombarded with television and print advertisements displaying the unbeatable deals they will find at retailers. Marketers hype up Black Friday using clever television spots that reflect on the American consumer culture surrounding the holidays.

 2010 television spot for Target stores

While getting a toaster oven for $15 sounds like a great deal, has it occurred to anyone that some of those items can be found online for the same price?

Online shopping has made it much easier for consumers to compare prices and view product specifications without ever leaving home. Not only is online shopping much easier than standing outside in the cold, but you could avoid pontentially  dangerous situations like a stampede!

North Buffalo Target store trampling on Black Friday, November 2010 CBS WIVB CH-4 NEWS, ABC WKBW CH-7 NEWS

Personally, I don’t think buying consumer products on sale is worth potentially getting hurt.

Online shopping is by far the easiest way to shop this holiday season. Not only are some of the in-store deals available online, but you have a wider verity of options to choose from a product category.

To make online shopping easier, I’ve compiled a list of 5  websites that make comparison shopping a breeze.

1. Google Shopping

Google Shopping is by far the most comprehensive online shopping website because of the data that Google collects. Users can compare thousands of items online by price and even shipping cost. It is important to note that Google charges companies to list their items on top of the search results, so it is always wise to narrow down your search by price and shipping costs if you’re trying to get the best deal available.

2. Nextag

 Founded in 1999, Nextag another prominent comparison shopping website where you can search millions of items to narrow down the best price from thousands of online retailers.

3. PriceGrabber

PriceGrabber is another website where consumers can search items by category and price, and was one of the first of the shopping comparison websites to provide real time tax and shipping costs in the search results.

4. Shopping.com

Shopping.com is a great website to search items by category, price, brand, and it even includes items from Ebay so you can ensure that you’re getting the best deal on a product.

5. The Find

In addition to showing product and price comparisons, The Find can help shoppers discover new products with personalized search results based on information taken from personal Facebook accounts.

The list above are just some of the price comparison websites that will help you navigate the online shopping experience. Another great tool for finding and comparing potential Black Friday sales is TheBlackFriday.com. This website is dedicated to all things Black Friday, including photo scans and digital sales ads from retailers, coupon codes and deal alerts reported by users.

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