Black Friday deals: Expert tips to spot real discounts

Well, for folks looking to hunt down the best Black Friday deals this season, some marketing experts recommend using whatever time left you have to develop a plan. Yeah, right. Fox News' Ted Linder takes a closer look at how being decisive and doing research could help shoppers stay savvy. With Black Friday officially starting on November 27th and early deals already heating up, marketing experts are advising consumers to jot down lists and strategize sales before making purchases, citing how deals can trigger a sense of urgency, which could cloud spending judgment. Just because something's got a red sticker on it doesn't mean it's necessarily a good deal. Retailers, you have to understand, they want you to make a quick decision. But you need to make a good decision, and those two don't always go together. Mike Brazile is a marketing professor at Mississippi State University. He recommends researching the price history of an item to help narrow in on the best discounts. Look at whether these prices that I'm seeing today are necessarily any better than the ones that I could have gotten yesterday or might be able to get next week. Having strict standards for objects you want could help prevent something from being bought just because it's marked down. Decide how much you're willing to spend, both in total and on individual pieces. Decide what it is that really matters to you in each of the things that you're buying. If you're looking for a TV, what size does it need to be? And to decide up front, I'm only going to accept these criteria if I define that deal that I think is a great deal. Meanwhile, allowing a little thinking time between purchases can also help consumers shop smart this season. Step away from the urgency just a little bit and try to decide, would I care as much about this if the urgency of it weren't so important right now? If it weren't at this great price, would I still want this product? Ted Lindner, Fox News.