How to get best Black Friday deals
Smart and careful shoppers can save over the U.S. Thanksgiving
NEW YORK— Serious cross-border deal-seekers are already planning their U.S. Thanksgiving weekend shopping, and experts believe that once again the holiday itself may offer better deals than the day afterward.
Amid the clutter of deals clamouring for attention, smart and careful shoppers can come out ahead. “Start researching and planning,” says Benjamin Glaser, features editor with DealNews.com, a deal comparison website.
Here are four ways to get the most out of Black Friday weekend — and beyond.
Study up Make a comprehensive list of what you plan to buy, research what those items usually sell for at full price and on sale, and figure out how much you want to spend.
Also check out store flyers from previous years online, since many retailers repeat the same deals at the same price. Eighty per cent of the products and 43 per cent of the prices highlighted on the front pages of the 2015 and 2014 Black Friday flyers of Best Buy, Macy’s, Target, Kohl’s, Walmart and J.C. Penney were the same, says Market Track LLC, a price tracking firm.
Make sure to note at what times different stores plan to start their Black Friday deals — both online and at the store.
Think seasonally Retailers have been starting to spread their offers out, with some starting well before Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Earlier this month in the U.S., for instance, Wal-Mart and Amazon.com both kicked off holiday deals on thousands of items.
Still, there’s a good chance you can get a better deal on Thanksgiving for certain items. DealNews.com says 38 per cent of the specials pushed on the holiday were what the site considered top deals, compared to only 31 per cent for Black Friday.
But not every deal is the best on Thanksgiving.
DealNews.com says it’s likely better to buy cameras, TVs, tablets and major appliances on Thanksgiving, and tools on Black Friday. The Monday after Thanksgiving, known as Cyber Monday, is also a good day for shoppers in the U.S. to get deep discounts on clothing and laptops.
Traci Gregorski, senior vice-president of marketing at Market Track, says that Monday is also a good time to buy laptops, small appliances and toys and games, based on an analysis of more than 1,400 listings.
“It’s to the shoppers’ benefit to do their homework to ensure they are getting the best deal,” Gregorski said. Use apps Look for apps that work well for you. For example, Flipp recreates the traditional print flyer experience so you don’t have to sift through all the weekly store flyers — and not just on Black Friday. DealNews Black Friday keeps track of specials throughout the holiday season, too.
Plenty of retailer apps offer customers special discounts. Customers who use the Staples app will have gotten a sneak peek of the Black Friday deals, which started Sunday. Think past Thanksgiving If you don’t need items by the holidays — or aren’t seeing some friends and relatives until afterward — you might do better waiting to head south to buy toys and clothing such as sweaters and coats until the end of the season. That lets you take advantage of clearance sales, Glaser says. For clothing, discounts are on average of 40 per cent over the Thanksgiving weekend, but at the end of the season, they go to 70 per cent.