Reduce stress by following these Black Friday shopping tips

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday around the corner, people are already creating strategies for how to shop efficiently.

Juan Renteria, who works with Henderson Libraries, talks about tips he encourages people to use. He taught a workshop at Green Valley Library on the subject.

Instead of braving stores in the early morning hours and fighting fellow patrons on parking and gifts, people could find some of those same deals online, he notes.

"Always look for newspaper announcements on what's coming," Renteria says. "Nowadays, most retail stores do online deals as well."

When shopping, he encourages people to stick to the retailers they are more familiar with.

He adds that once they have identified their shopping favorites, people can set price spending ranges so they don't fall out of budget.

"That way you don't spend too much time browsing then realize something is out of your price range," he says.

Another tip he tells people is to not be afraid to look at refurbished items or products that have been previously opened.

"A lot of the times, it's just as good," he says. "Plus, they still have a warranty if something is wrong."

To save time when purchasing, he recommends Google Wallet, Apple Pay or other pay services that already have people's credit card information set up.

"That way you don't have to keep re-entering your billing address or information," he says.

Renteria says if at all possible, when bidding on items that have a limited supply, people should try to set up multiple computers.

While looking for the best deals, Renteria says be aware of scams and bad deals.

"If it's too good to be true, it probably is," he says.

Contact reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5201. Follow @mjlyle on Twitter.