Shop in the Smokies or on Online? Finding the Best Deal

Is it still worth it to plan a holiday shopping trip to the Smokies?

I’ve always been a fan of Black Friday shopping. There’s a little twinge – for some people more than a little – of competition in getting to the store, getting in line and getting the best deal.

For years, my plan would be to scour the ads, identify a deal or two I would really go for from the major retailers, and then get into the Smokies to browse for other holiday deals.

But the truth is a lot of that was more about the experience than the results. Sure, I found a few good deals over the years. But mostly we’d end up getting stuff at only a slightly better price than I would have a couple of weeks earlier.

We’d eat at the Chop House or someplace like that and make a day of it. By the time you factored in the extra expense of the dinner and gas and everything else, I imagine most of the “savings” was really just breaking even of better. And I didn’t have to stay in a hotel.

In more recent years, with the heavy push of Black Friday shopping fading, I’ve spent a lot more time online. I go to the outlets later in the shopping season to see if we could find any leftover deals. We still strike gold occasionally. However, I think most of the value is just getting out and soaking in some of the traditions of the season. I would say that last year, 80% of our shopping was accomplished online.

Shopping in the Smokies pros

The actual experience

There is something to be said for getting out and doing the thing. It helps you get in the Holiday spirit to be outside with others, going from shop to shop and looking for deals. This is especially true when the air has just the right amount of chill. In other words, when you walk from shop to shop you get that little shock of cold that gets your attention.

There’s a scavenger hunt appeal, which I like. And if you’ve ever been burned buying online, you realize the value in seeing the item in person, holding it in your hands to make sure it is what you think it is. You also get Christmas music and lights and decorations while your shopping. You can even swing by the Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge to give your holiday season spirit a real shot in the arm.

Enjoy an area restaurant

Part of the tradition of shopping at the Tanger Outlet for us is going to the Chop House. We also like Junction 35 at the Mountain Mile. There’s another Junction 35 at Tanger, but the Mountain Mile location is better. Capping a day of shopping with a nice meal and drink, spending some time talking and people watching are just as important as the actual shopping. If you do your shopping online, you’re making dinner at home – or maybe getting DoorDash. But it ain’t the same vibe.

No internet browser to clear

I’m sure your little angels would never stoop to something like checking your browser history to see where you’ve been shopping. But in the real world? You can buy those presents, hide them, forget where you hid them and spend a couple of hours frantically searching after remembering them at 1:30 a.m. on Christmas day.

Mom and Pop shops

Not so much at the outlet malls, but you can support mom and pop retailers, specialty stores and the like when shopping in person. Yes, the Smoky Mountain Cat House has an online store, but it’s easier and more fun in person. Same for the Mountain Mile retailers and the Village Shops in Gatlinburg as well as local candy-makers and the like. There’s a lot to be said for supporting businesses that aren’t part of global chains.

Shopping in the Smokies Cons

Traffic and parking

Is it truly the Christmas season until you’ve given serious thought to giving the finger to the guy trying to squeeze a Ford F150 into a spot designated for compact cars? I say – it is not.

Holiday hecticness

Is Hectiness a word? Spell check says it is not but I’m making it one. I do miss the competition of the old Black Friday a little. Declaring myself the greatest parker in the world when I get a good spot. Getting one of the limited numbered deals that actually represent true savings. I like that TV where’d you get it? Paid $35 and a bag of sand to Wal-Mart on Black Friday and they gave me this 100-inch monstrosity.

But we all know the horror stories of Black Friday going too far, drawing out the worst in people. A lot of bad things can happen on the internets, but you won’t find yourself raining blows down upon another man who dared to challenge you for a Cabbage Patch doll.

All hat, no cattle

Can you really find good deals for holiday shopping in the Smokies? Maybe. If you’re strategic and have a better than average understanding of what things cost before the holiday “sales” took over. I suspect that for most of us, if we sat down and really calculated what we spent on “sales” in the Smokies, we’re not as far ahead as we think. When we’re shopping online we have access to other retailers. It’s incredibly easy to comparison shop, make sure we’re getting the best deals.

Sevierville Wal-Mart

If we do our shopping online, there is no chance that we will be coerced, misled, drawn or lured into the Sevierville Wal-Mart. It is, in fact, the fourth level of hell. I once made the mistake of trying to navigate the Sevierville Wal-Mart, which by the way, has been one of the busiest Wal-Marts in the world. Reader, I do not possess the vocabulary to describe the terrors that existed within. What about the Sevierville Target? Hard to say. I haven’t done Christmas shopping in there. I suspect it would be at least a little better because it’s newer and brighter. But I would still only approach with caution.

Do you still enjoy shopping in person? Let us know what you think in the comments and on the socials!