For those not in the know, Black Friday is a magical day once a year where shops plummet their prices to encourage us to splash the cash on the lead up to Christmas. And we’re not complaining – the sentiment is more "shut up and take our money."

As amazing as the deals may be, shopping on Black Friday could at times be compared to seeing an adorable puppy without being allowed to pet it– it can get emotional. To help you mentally prepare for the turmoil of Black Friday, we’ve broken the day down into the five stages that you will go through.

Stay strong.

 

The Excitement Stage

In the lead up to Black Friday, you may well feel the excitement bubbling inside of you. Scrolling endlessly through the ‘too-good-to-be-true’ deals online, bookmarking half-price trainers and phones to your heart's content, the excitement at the possibility of actually psychically owning these items may be overwhelming. With Black Friday offers as good as Vodafone X’s, why wouldn’t you get excited? If you’re aged between 18-24 you can get €40 off a range of smartphones and a free Google Home Mini when you switch to Vodafone X. There's a reason why Black Friday might be one of our favourite days of the year.

 

The Second Guessing Yourself Stage

The day has come. As your alarm goes off at 3.50am and you wearily bundle yourself into the car in the blistering cold to make the journey to the shops, you might start to question your life choices. Due to the excitement of your anticipated purchases meaning you didn't sleep a wink the night before, the sight of the crowds of people queuing outside the shopping centre before 5 am may make you wonder: ‘Is it all worth it?’

 

The Competitive Stage

Your second guessing comes to an abrupt halt as the store doors open and you spot your bookmarked items in real life on the shop floor. Even if you usually don’t get competitive when it comes to things like family games of Monopoly or winning the office bake off, you may suddenly feel a sense of competition so real that you find yourself in a sprinting race against two other shoppers towards a 70% discounted winter coat.

 

The Joy Stage

Two hours and ten full bags of heavily discounted goods later, emerging from the shops pretty-pleased with yourself, it'll all be worth it. As you drive home, you can’t help but smile to yourself, delighted with your shopping achievements. You have just WON at Black Friday.

 

The Come Down Stage

Congratulations, you have survived Black Friday. Now it’s time for the comedown. The dark circles under your eyes, the unexplained bruises from the sprinting race, the fatigued arm muscles – that’s your body telling you it's time for a snooze. Leave your many purchases unopened as you tuck yourself up under your duvet and begin to mentally prepare yourself for round two. Yes, Cyber Monday is just three days away, and you get to it all over again.

You can find out more on Vodafone X’s Black Friday offer on their website.

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