Here’s Why You Should Start Your Black Friday Shopping Early This Year…

You might need to start your shopping a little sooner than anticipated if you’re hoping to grab some Black Friday deals the next week.

This weekend is likely going to be the best time to find the best deal, experts say. This is according to USATODAY, experts say that an increasing number of stores are kicking off their sales. If you’re thinking about starting your Black Friday shopping right after Thanksgiving this year, you’re probably going to want to start doing that a little bit earlier. Especially if you’re hoping to grab some of these Black Friday deals that are coming next week.

Black Friday Shopping:

My Thanksgiving tradition is to enjoy the feast, take a long, well-deserved snooze, and when I wake up, I put on my holiday sweater. I wear a different Christmas sweater every day throughout this season since, of course, this is Southwest Florida.

I’ll take off my sweater mid day and reveal the Christmas t-shirt underneath.  Nothing gets me in the holiday spirit like donning a well-ventilated Santa hat and heading out to enjoy some traditional black Friday shopping in the warmer weather of Southwest Florida. You might want to start your holiday shopping a little bit sooner than later.  Buying your items before Black Friday could be the most sensible decision you make this holiday season.

Experts predict that by the time black Friday arrives, it will likely be sold out. Obviously, the large corporations want you to believe that. I kid you not! We can absolutely trust large corporations! It’s Christmas!
Therefore, if you have your eye on a specific item, be warned that it may sell out right before Black Friday, if not the item, then at least the bargains. The following three items will be the ones with the biggest Christmas discounts, so keep an eye out for these deals…

Here are three items to keep an eye out for that will be discounted the most this year:

1. Electronics, especially portable ones like earbuds and headphones.

2. Bundles on smart home accessories like speakers, thermostats, and doorbells. Those are a MUST.

(Like the ones with Cameras) 

3. The most popular toys from the previous year, which suffered from supply chain delays. Retailers need to get those sold so expect deals on some toys. Shop Smart!

Happy Holiday Hunting everyone!

Best Stores For Black Friday Shopping

With Thanksgiving less than a week away, you may be starting to think about Black Friday shopping and the best stores to shop this year.

Everyone wants a good deal. The whole point of Black Friday shopping is to save a buck, or if you’re lucky a lot of them. There are some, like my brother, who just getting out and being a part of the mix. I’m usually of the mentality that if I don’t need something, I don’t venture out into crowds like that. Usually regular weekends are too people-y for me, so Black Friday weekend? I’ll pass.

Even though I’m not into it, last year 66.5 million people were in stores looking for holiday scores. Talking to a lot of friends who plan to head out into the chaos this year have the eye on larger ticket items. Hearing a lot about TV’s, computer’s, video game console’s, stuff like that. And I get it, with the high cost of those items, to be able to save some money is definitely nice. And hey, if it’s a gift for someone else, may open up a few extra dollars to put something else with it.

But maybe you’re wondering just where these good deals are found. Well, our friends at WalletHub have crunched the numbers so we don’t have to and put together a list of the best stores for Black Friday shopping. They looked at about 4,000 advertised Black Friday deals from the ads of 16 of the largest retailers in the U.S.

Top 15 Best Places for Black Friday Shopping:

  • 15. Best Buy

    The average discount is 22.9%

    Best Buy Profits Soar 52 Percent Fueled By Holiday Sales

    (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

  • 14. Amazon

    The average discount is 25.7%

    Amazon Anticipates Strong Holiday Shopping Season

    (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

  • 13. BJ's

    The average discount is 27.6%

    Business Signage

    (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

  • 12. Walmart

    The average discount is 28.4% with the best deals on consumer packaged goods.

    In Weak Economy, Wal-Mart Expands $10-Toy Promotion For Holiday Season

    (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

  • 11. Newegg

    The average discount is 28.5%

    Germany Maintains Semi-Lockdown In Effort To Rein In Coronavirus Infections

    (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

  • 10. The Home Depot

    The average discount is 30.9%

    Struggling Retailers Launch Holiday Shopping Season Especially Early

    (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

  • 9. Academy Sports + Outdoors

    The average discount is 31.1%

    Adidas To Buy Reebok For $3.8 Billion

    (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

     

  • 8. Big Lots

    The average discount is 32.9%

    Holiday Toy Shopping

    (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

  • 7. Target

    The average discount is 32.9%

    Christmas Shopping Season is Underway

    (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

  • 6. Lenovo

    The average discount is 40.7%

    Lenovo's IBM Deal To Face U.S. Review

    (Photo by Cancan Chu/Getty Images)

  • 5. Kohl's

    The average discount is 44.2% with the best deals on jewelry.

    Kohl's Kicks Off Nationwide "Build-a-List" Tool and Sweepstakes at New York City Holiday Pop Up

    (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Kohls)

     

  • 4. Office Depot and OfficeMax

    The average discount is 49.9% with the best deals on furniture.

    Anti-Virus software sold as computers are attacked.

    (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

  • 3. Macy's

    The average discount is 53.0%

    Last Minute Christmas Shopping

    (Photo by Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)

  • 2. Belk

    The average discount is 64.2% with the best deals on apparel & accessories, consumer electronics, toys and appliances. 

    Consumers Get Jump On Black Friday Deals By Shopping Thursday Evening

    (Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

     

  • 1. JCPenney

    The average discount is 64.7% with the best deals on computers & phones. 

    JC Penney Profits Rise

    (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

     

  • Florida Theme Parks Offering Black Friday Deals

    It’s hard to believe that the biggest shopping day of the year is just over a week away and some Florida theme parks will be offering Black Friday deals.

    The holiday season is upon us and over the next few weeks time will fly by. If you haven’t started thinking about Christmas shopping yet, now would be the time to start making that list so you can take advantage of the deals. I’ve never been much of a Black Friday shopper. I worked in retail for years when I was younger, so now that I don’t anymore, I avoid going out into the madness if I don’t have to. It’s not to say the deals aren’t worth it on some things, I just don’t feel the need to get into a possible altercation over a $3 savings on a pillow. Though a pillow fight in a department store sounds like it could be pretty epic.

    While you may think of stores people camp out at like Walmart, Best Buy and Target, WFLA reports that a lot of theme parks here in Florida will be serving up some deals on Black Friday too. If you have a hard to buy for person on your Christmas list, I think tickets to some fun is something everyone can enjoy.

    Florida Theme Parks Offering Black Friday Deals: