Black Friday shopping tips

Retail holidays now dot the consumer landscape throughout much of the year. That shift has made a day like Black Friday somewhat less unique than it was in years past.
However, Black Friday remains the unofficial kickoff to the holiday shopping season, and it’s still a major day for retailers big and small.
According to Adobe Analytics, in 2022 consumers spent $9.12 billion while online shopping on Black Friday. A separate report from the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics indicated a little less than 200 million consumers shopped online and in store between Thanksgiving Day and Cyber Monday, which is the Monday following Black Friday.
Such figures indicate that holiday shopping on the weekend of Thanksgiving might have changed, but it’s still wildly popular. This Black Friday, shoppers can consider these tips to ensure they find the right gifts at the right price.
—Do some research before the big day. The spirit of competition is alive and well on Black Friday. Consumers once flocked en masse to store parking lots in the wee hours of the morning in order to get sale items before shelves emptied.
Some still do, so shoppers may need to be willing to compete to find the best deals. But some pre-Black Friday research might prove the best way to land the best deals, and it may not require waking up in the middle of the night.
Much like shoppers compete with one another to grab sale items, retailers also compete to get shoppers in store or on their websites. As a result, it’s not uncommon for retailers big and small to advertise Black Friday sales weeks in advance. Shoppers can research these sales and plan when to visit certain stores in order to land the best deal.
—Know your prices. Shoppers who would do well on TV’s “The Price is Right” can save money. It’s important to have a general idea of what items cost, especially those that will be on holiday lists.
Shoppers can set up price alert notifications on the gifts they plan to buy to compare prices in advance of holiday sales. This way they will have a better idea if the Black Friday/Cyber Monday “deal” is just a markdown on an exaggerated price or if it’s a legitimate bargain.
—Wake up early. Shoppers may not need to get out of bed at 3 a.m. to land the best Black Friday deals, but the early bird still gets the worm on the day after Thanksgiving. Plan to shop early in the morning, which increases the chances of finding the right gift at the right price.
If an item you’ve earmarked is part of a doorbuster deal, plan to get to the store or onto the website as early as possible.
—Consider price- matching. Before shoppers run all over to a dozen stores in the name of saving a few bucks, learn about stores’ price-matching policies. For example, Best Buy may be willing to give the same price on a printer if you can prove that Staples is offering it for $30 cheaper.
Keep in mind that many stores are even willing to match Amazon’s prices.
—Think beyond the usual retailers. Lowe’s, Home Depot and even pharmacies have lesser-known, but advantageous deals as well. Don’t overlook these retailers for holiday decor or stocking stuffers.
—Establish a budget. It’s easy to go overboard when shopping deals on Black Friday. However, busting the budget on the first day of the holiday shopping season sets a bad precedent for the weeks to come.
A holiday debt survey from LendingTree found that 35% of shoppers took on debt to pay for their holiday purchases in 2022, with the average consumer accumulating more than $1,500 in debt. Savvy shoppers devise a budget prior to shopping and stick to that budget.
Black Friday remains a wildly popular retail holiday. A little research, a willingness to get up early and some determination to stay on budget is a formula for a successful Black Friday.