Black Friday

With Black Friday fast approaching, are Cyber ​​Monday and retailers consistently outperforming sales from early November to December and losing money as the best price day?

No, shopping experts say. Black Friday (and actually Thanksgiving Eve) sales are real. If you only shop once a year, do it at that time.

"If you're shopping, you'll see more on Thanksgiving and Black Friday than on Cyber ​​Monday," said Michael Bonbright, consumer analyst at DealNews.com, who has been tracking Black Friday shopping trends for years. There are also transactions on Cyber ​​Monday, but they are more general and strictly online.

In general, on Thanksgiving, retailers often feature iPads, iPhones, kitchen utensils, and clothing. The highest Black Friday sales are usually on TVs, Android smartphones, laptops, and often travel sales. Cosmetics, toys, speakers, and other audio products reign supreme on Cyber ​​Monday.

Here are 10 tips to win Black Friday.

1. Inquiry the price now

TrueTrae.com shopping expert Trae Bodge said he'll set gift budgets and search prices now, saying sites like Slickdeals and Flipp have the most major Black Friday trades a few days before Thanksgiving. I added it. Compare and compare prices. Just because something is for sale doesn't mean it's a good deal, Budge said.

2. Budget to spend on you

She said that impulse purchases are huge at this time of year, so set a budget for yourself and stick to it. Set spending limits, including scan prices for items you may want to purchase. It prevents you from shopping without knowing. "Sales can create that sense of urgency and cause us to get out of the way," she said.

3. Confirm the transaction location - online or in-store

Budge said that retailers will do most of the transactions online and in stores, but stores like Wal-Mart and Best Buy are starting to see more limited-time and limited-door stores to lure people into the store. According to Budge, the good news is that there's less enthusiasm for store-shopping than there was a year earlier when physical stores were the only game in town.

4. Drive layout

If you want to buy a door booby for a limited time in-store, choose a few stores in the same general geographic location. I don't have time to call everyone," Bonbright said in poor traffic conditions.

5. Use all available tools

Browser extensions like Honey (Joinhoney.com) and Invisible Hand (getinvisiblehand.com) can instantly find the best price for a particular product at large retail stores, store apps do special deals, and they say they can. I researched a robot vacuum cleaner and tried both extensions. When I went to the iRobot website for the Roomba 960, a popup in the shopping widget warned me of a QVC sale for one day, and I found a QVC coupon that bought $180 cheaper and improved the deal. Store credit card owners, such as Target's Red Card and Amazon Prime members, often have early access to additional transactions and discounts. said Leslie Rohrbow, director of market research at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).

6. TV is good value

Bodge and Bonebright said Black Friday is a great day to buy a new TV year-round. Rohrbow said that new tech features introduced at CES, such as 8K TV, can not only be on sale during Black Friday but also have deep discounts on other models. Once again, check the price now.

7. Consider upgrading a smaller device

Is a blender, robot vacuum, or any other small household okay with your last foot? Consider upgrading to Black Friday. However, only if you research the price in advance to ensure that the advertised transaction is good. This is generally the best time to upgrade to a small kitchen appliance.

8. Double dip

Kelly Magno, the chief analyst at Astound Commerce, which analyzes retailer locations, says he'll sign up for a free loyalty program, join a list of merchants and get discounts for use during Black Friday. She says retailers want customers back so they can offer benefits like 10% and points. Retailers often offer discounts to new email subscribers, too. Even at luxury stores like Williams Sonoma, new subscribers get 15% off their first purchase.

9. Don't shop

Adding something to your online shopping cart the day before Thanksgiving doesn't stop you from running out of stock. Doing so may be counterproductive because you will not see the new reduced price.

10. Don't expect big discounts on hot releases

Retailers won't drastically reduce the price of the latest versions like the iPhone 11, according to Bonebright. The most you might get is a few bucks from the latest style. However, he said buying a second-generation model, such as the iPhone 10s, at places like Wal-Mart or Target can offer bigger discounts and higher gift cards.