COLUMBIA, S.C. — Black Friday deals are drawing shoppers out in full force, hoping to get the best bargains on holiday gifts.
But with all the discounts, many also monitor their spending and safety.
Maddie Srulevich was out shopping with friends and said this was the perfect time to get Christmas presents.
“There’s so much stuff to get for Christmas that it's really nice if you think ahead and get all the gifts and get all the things early," said Srulevich. "Otherwise, you’re just going to spend so much money.”
While many shoppers rely on in-person deals, some still turn to online shopping for the convenience.
However, Scott Cooke from South Carolina Consumer Affairs said it’s important to be cautious.
“If you’re on those websites, make sure you’re using a secure website," said Cooke. "That’s those websites with 'https' in the address, and you want to look for the lock beside that to make sure that everything is encrypted and protected as much as possible."
Asha James was shopping with her family on Friday at Scout and Molly's. She said that shopping in person avoids online scams.
“Stay local and try to stay off the online stores that you really haven’t used before and you don’t know about and that aren’t as reputable," said James. "I usually go to reviews first and try to avoid anything that seems to be a little sketchy, but by going and walking into stores, you feel a lot safer about that, so that’s why we’re actually out today.”
Cooke said that while the savings are tempting, it’s important to stay vigilant, especially when securing your finances.
“Just make sure you’re tracking your finances if you're going through using your debit card or credit card and all that you ... want to make sure that you’re following up on that, keeping an eye on those accounts," said Cooke. "Making sure that those transactions are going through and they are the correct dollar amounts and especially making sure that any fraudulent charges aren’t going through on those accounts so you want to catch all that stuff as soon as you can and report it.”
Srulevich said she prepares by creating a shopping list to avoid overspending.
“I like to come up with a list of what I am looking for and so even if I see a great deal on something that I jut really don't need," said Srulevich. "I try not to sometimes it doesn’t work but that’s what I try to do.”
Consumer Affairs advised shoppers to be knowledgeable about return and exchange policies before purchasing this holiday season.