Holiday Shopping Frenzy saves you time, money

Team of shopping experts launches Holiday Shopping Frenzy

DETROIT – How many times have you heard friends brag about great deals they found, and you missed, during the busy Black Friday weekend? It doesn't have to be that way!

Whether you're a veteran bargain hunter or a Black Friday novice, ClickOnDetroit is part of a huge holiday shopping event the week of Thanksgiving.

Emily Hay of HayThereSocialMedia has assembled a team of blogging bargain hunters and style writers to help you find the best deals on Black Friday. They'll try to spot discounts you might miss, and they'll share their discoveries on social media.

"The women on our team are very web and social media savvy," Emily Hay told Ruth to the Rescue.

Hay helped Local 4 and ClickOnDetroit launch the Holiday Shopping Frenzy last year. Some of the team members have returned, and they say the experience paid off for them.

"It was really awesome to see all the great deals out there," said Lauren Weber of mrsweber'sneighborhood.com.

"I made a lot of new online friends who were thanking me for the deals we were tweeting," said Bree Glenn, a blogger and PR Consultant.

Shopping team ready to share deals

New members of the team are excited about sharing deals, especially those you might miss.

"Sometimes there are things that are unadvertised," said new team member Alymamah Mashrah, "and so when you're paying attention to those hashtags you can say, 'Oh look at that sweater,' it's on sale and might not have been in the ad."

"I think most people go out on Black Friday to get the savings and deals and get that burst of excitement when they are like, 'I scored that 10 percent or 20 percent off,'" said Amber Louchart of metrodetroitmommy.com.

Some of the shopping team members are also Black Friday beginners and hope to bring that perspective to the table.

"I really want to take that angle and show everybody here's what you need to know as a first time Black Friday shopper," said Elizabeth Sabourin.

The team will be your "eyes and ears" around metro Detroit the week of Thanksgiving, especially over the long weekend. They'll spot hot deals. They'll tell you about long lines, parking problems, or anything else they notice in real time!

"I want to make this easy. I don't want to be trudging around in the trenches all day. I want to find my stuff get in and get out," added Elizabeth Sabourin.

Share the deals you see! Help your neighbors!

All of you can also tweeting and share your experiences with your fellow shoppers. You can also post information on Instagram and Facebook. Everyone in metro Detroit can help each other through a very busy weekend.

"We had a lot of people that weren't part of our team that were also sharing with us. So, it just really built that community and it made it more fun," said Inez Parker of stylechic360.com.

Retailer reaction can pay off

Even better, retailers are watching your tweets and may tweet back.

Team leader Emily Hay remembers what happened when one of our shoppers saw a line that was just too long. "She tweeted to Old Navy, and believe it or not, they actually tweeted her back and gave her a gift card."

Follow the Local 4 Holiday Shopping Frenzy

You can follow our shopping team here on ClickOnDetroit and on Twitter at #local4shopping. They will start tweeting on Monday, Nov. 25.

Like millions of Americans, the team is divided over whether to go shopping on the Thanksgiving holiday. Half of the women will be staying home and the other half will head to the stores, but not until 8 p.m.

Look for their tweets and join the conversation whenever you're shopping over the long holiday weekend!


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