Free Android apps for Black Friday shoppers

This list of Black Friday Android apps is one of the easiest roundups Ive compiled in a while, because there are many resourceful apps dedicated to the post-Thanksgiving shopping ritual. A holiday all its own, Black Friday requires a bit of planning, plenty of product research, and a dollop of patience. As retailers hope to unload as much inventory as possible to kickstart the holiday shopping season, its the app-savvy consumers that come out as winners. These Android apps will save you time, money and sanity come Black Friday.

Black Friday App

Updated for the 2012 holiday shopping season, the Black Friday App delivers a firehose of retailer deals all in one convenient place. Both leaked and confirmed ads pop up in this app, so you have all the information on hand to begin plotting your Black Friday purchases. Compare sale and retail prices, find nearby retailer locations and save potential items to your Shopping List. A search tool helps you narrow down products of interest, and options to share Black Friday ads via email, Facebook and Twitter. A similar app worth downloading is TGI Black Friday.

Sears

Plenty of big box retailers have great deals come Black Friday, but not all of them have Android apps. Sears is one of the few retailer apps worth checking out this year, as theyve been known to offer app-exclusive deals for Black Friday. The Sears app was designed for busy shoppers, offering mobile search and online purchases. You can also schedule in-store purchase pickups or have items delivered right to your door. Macys and Walmart are two other apps to keep an eye on this year, as the retail giants are notorious for Black Friday specials.

RedLaser Barcode & QR Scanner

Black Friday is all about getting the best product for your money, an opportunity often lost on poor research and planning. It may not be worth the $400 discount for a 3D television thats likely to break after a year, so its certainly worth your time and money to study up on products before making any rash decisions. Even if you dont put much effort into research ahead of time, barcode scanners like RedLaser can help you compare reviews and price points while you shop. While youre at Best Buy you can uncover the true cost of a product, factoring in user reviews, and even do a bit of price matching for other local and online retailers.

shopkick: rewards for shopping

Whether youre out on Black Friday to shop for yourself or for this years holiday gifts, theres no harm in earning a few rewards points along the way. shopkick is a great way to take advantage of your Black Friday spending, as most big box retailers offer rewards through this app. And you dont even have to buy anything. You can earn rewards just for walking into stores, from Target to Best Buy. Earn more kicks rewards for scanning items and making purchases, redeemable as free perks from Starbucks, a retailer gift card, song downloads, designer merchandise and trips.

Zaarly

Zaarly is a local marketplace that operates similarly to Craigslist, and it may seem out of place on this list of deal-centric apps. But this service-driven marketplace app could be ideal for finding someone to help you manage the Black Friday rush. Zaarlys written a how-to guide for ideas on using its marketplace to hack Black Friday, which helped the app gain popularity last year. Whether you need seasonal workers to hand out fliers or a stand-in for long lines, Zaarly might be a good place to start.

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