Black Friday season is in full swing, and it keeps developing each year. For example, many people do their Thanksgiving-weekend shopping online, where it’s so much easier to check off their gift lists than risking parking-lot brawls and jostling for position inside stores. And that convenience is only enhanced by the availability of Black Friday-caliber pricing over many days, rather than being limited to Thanksgiving weekend.
In 2024, Black Friday retailers continue to offer shoppers pre-Thanksgiving deals or deals staggered over several weeks — some of which are for club members only — instead of holding one big sale on Black Friday itself, according to Edgar Dworsky, a consumer advocate in the Boston area, longtime price-watcher and founder and editor of Consumer World.
To get the best deals for the Christmas shopping season, Consumer World recommends that consumers:
1. Look at sales circulars for the whole month
Retail sales ads like those for Black Friday are still leaked to sites like blackfriday.gottadeal.com far into November and not all at once, so they might be missed.
But the heads-up content found on sites like that and on X.com and Facebook is especially valuable now, what with all the early-bird sales.
2. Beware ‘big savings’ hype
Consumer World suggests using tools like Amazon price tracker camelcamelcamel since sellers often make a deal sound better than it really is.
Potential buyers also should factor in how much delivery and tax will cost and be suspicious of any site offering suspiciously low prices.
3. Look at independent product reviews
Sites like Consumer Reports, which monitors many categories, and more specialized sites like tech-centered PCMag.com offer expert guidance on what to buy.
Consumers also should scrutinize online user reviews and take them with a grain of salt, as some sellers have been known to buy fake reviews on sites like Amazon.
4. Leverage sales, coupons and rebates
By finding items on sale, using cash-back apps like Rakuten, coupons and cash-back credit cards, shoppers can layer on the savings.
Of course, you should always be using a generous cash-back card, and they’re easy to find. One good place to check is The FinanceBuzz List of Top Cash-Back Cards
5. Pounce on good sales early
Consumer World says shoppers should be on the internet when advertised prices fall because some of the scarcer sale items won’t be restocked, and rain checks are a rarity.
For brick-and-mortar promotions, going to stores at opening — which could be 5 a.m. — is still a tactic being used. The good news is late November and early December sales traffic should be reduced because more people went online or bought earlier in November.
6. Attack store sales before the Wednesday before Thanksgiving
It’s become a thing for major retailers to drop Black Friday-level promos a week or two before Thanksgiving week. But online buyers also should note that not all hot product deals are available for several weeks — some will end right before Turkey Day.
For instance, Target recently had a two-day online sale and kicked off a Black Friday Preview Sale on Nov. 9 that ends the 23rd.
7. Read stores’ return policies thoroughly
Look at when returns must be made, and if shipping is free. However, it’s not uncommon during this season for items to still be returnable in early January.
8. Get a receipt made for gift buyers
Always get a gift receipt, especially if the item was bought on sale. Without one, your recipient may not be able to get a refund or exchange, which could be limited to what the item has recently sold for in the past.
9. Use a credit card with purchase protection perks
Consumer World says some cards provide an additional product warranty, and refund you the sale price of an item if it goes on sale within a certain period after purchasing it, or the full price if the product was ruined within 90 days.
10. Save more using price-matching guarantees
Stores like Target generally won’t honor price matching from Black Friday to Cyber Monday, but they do after that. Consumer World recommends staying on top of what’s already been purchased, as what was bought might suddenly be offered for less during the Christmas shopping season.