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Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday are undoubtedly the best days of the year for sales. I should know – I write about sales all year. Many retailers offer a 20% discount here and there throughout the year, but Black Friday is when they go wild and increase that discount to 30 or 40% in an effort to grab your attention at the moment. the most commercial of all. If you shop these sales smartly, you can get all your Christmas gifts done early and under budget – or just pick up a few items.

But you have to know when and how to make your purchases. Sometimes it’s best to shop early, before items sell out. Other times, it’s worth waiting for a slightly better discount. To help you navigate the sales, I’ve wracked my deal-obsessed brain to come up with a list of tips, including which categories have the best deals, which ones you can safely ignore, which deals tend to sell out the most faster, and more.

Shipping is notoriously finicky this time of year, so it’s always a good idea to order gifts early enough. Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday are the perfect time to do this, as there are only SO many offers to choose from. I suggest spending these last few weeks before Cyber ​​Week putting together a list of possible gifts for the people on your list so that when the sales go live, you can quickly check out what’s on sale. But if you want some inspiration for the day, we’ll round up our favorites. Gift-Worthy Black Friday Deals again this year, so be vigilant.

Last year I went there in an effort to find the best possible deal on some AirPod Pros because I wanted to give them to my boyfriend for Christmas. This was one of the few things I bought this weekend.

Black Friday was the only time I saw the Owala FreeSip go on sale last year. This makes a great gift (even if it’s just for yourself).

Black Friday sales start earlier and earlier every year. It used to be that brands started sales on the Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving, but competition has gotten tougher in the last year. Brands told me they wouldn’t start sales until a certain date, but then a competitor announced It is sales were starting and other brands were clamoring to follow suit. At this point, it’s more common for sales to start early, but most of the time they don’t come to fruition until about a week after Thanksgiving.

Most of the time, the deals that go live before Black Friday are the same ones you’ll get during Cyber ​​Week, so if there’s something you really want and it’s already on sale, I say get it while it’s in stock. It is more likely to sell rather than become cheaper. However, there are a few cases where the deal is a little better – like 25% off instead of 20 – on Black Friday itself, so feel free to wait if you don’t think the item you’re buying you wish will sell.

The Great Jones sale lasts until December 2, so there’s no reason to wait to buy it.

If you TO DO I want to shop early, I collect all the the best Black Friday sales that have already started here.

Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday sales vary considerably from brand to brand, but in my experience, most places don’t increase discounts on Cyber ​​Monday. At most, they may give you a gift with your purchase or add other items to the sales bin, but the discount is usually the same. So my advice here is the same as I offered above: if you really want something, buy it early. If you’re willing to bet on stocks, you can wait and see if the discount changes or a freebie is added to the mix.

Retailers like Amazon, Nordstrom, and Target often match prices to current deals on other sites. This can make purchases easier, as they will typically benefit from faster, cheaper shipping and/or a more flexible return window. Last year, for example, Nordstrom price-matched Casper and Our Place.

Shoppers no longer need to camp out in front of a JCPenney or Walmart to purchase a washing machine or TV on sale. The deals have simply moved online, where you can find the best discounts of the year on appliances and technology. Best Buy and Target are both good places to start, especially if you’re looking for Apple technology or even a high-end vacuum cleaner.

“Almost every year since I started covering technology in 2017, at least ten people ask me what technology they should wait to buy Black Friday“, wrote Jordan McMahon in his Last year’s Black Friday tech sales released. His answer is: get the expensive technology, like headphones, tabletsOr game consoles. “You probably won’t find a better deal than the ones on offer this week,” he says. Last year, we saw some great deals at individual retailers like JBL, Sonos, and Dyson, as well as tons of discounts at mega-retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and Target.

“Amazon always offers deep discounts on its own products, like Kindle and Echo devices – I always wait for this time of year to upgrade one of my e-readers,” says McMahon.

Technology is a category you should definitely However, check the price match. Last year, Apple did not discount its products but offered gift cards of varying amounts with the purchase of a product. Target, Best Buy and Amazon, however, offered direct discounts on Apple products. The best place to buy depends on what you want – money now or later – but it’s worth comparing and reviewing before you pay.

Last year, several streaming services offered big 12-month discounts on Black Friday. Hulu, for example, was just 99 cents per month when you subscribed during Black Friday (normally, it’s at least $8 per month), and Paramount+ was only $2 per month (down from $6). If you’re not sure if another streaming service is worth it, now is a good time to subscribe and try it for less.

As is generally the case during Christmas sales, tons clothing benefits from significant discounts. Last year, Madewell offered 50% off their entire site, which was the best deal I’ve ever seen the brand offer. (Normally, its sitewide discounts are capped at 40%.) Lululemon Sale is also always popular, with items for men and women discounted up to 70 percent. The volume can be a little overwhelming, though, which is why our fashion editor Ambar Pardilla will only sniff out good deals. As she did in past yearsit will gather the best deals, organized by retailer, making it easy to compare discounts and find the best ones.

According to the main writer Lisa Corsillothe big three – Amazon, Target and Walmart – have the most extensive deals on toys during Black Friday. Last year, she found dozens of options for more than 50% off at every single retailer. But don’t limit yourself to these three. Smaller indie brands like Fat Brain Toys and Maisonette, for example, also had great (and sometimes even better) discounts, with up to 60 or 70 percent off certain toys.

Many beauty brands offer discounts of up to 20% on their products throughout the year, but they almost always increase that discount to 25 or 30% for Black Friday. “I always take the opportunity to stock up on my favorite beauty products, buy gifts for my loved ones, and try out the new products I’ve been eyeing throughout the year,” says the writer. Tembe Denton-Hurston. This is a particularly good time to shop at Sephorabecause there are rarely sales. Last year, it offered up to 50% off brands like Tarte, Topicals and Kiehl’s, and flash deals changed daily.

This inexpensive moisturizer from First Aid Beauty was almost 60% off last year at Sephora.

If you follow my year-round coverage of mattress salesyou know that mattresses are always for sale. While a typical discount at any given time is around 15-20%, Black Friday seems to be one of the only times mattress brands increase their savings, usually by an additional 5%.

$1,699

$1,999

now 15% off

$1,405

$1,874

now 25% off

Yes, all big brands will have sales, but so will small businesses – and they often don’t wait until Small Business Saturday to launch. Salter House has never had a sale, but I bought this nightgown while it was a rare 20% off during Black Friday last year.

If this year is anything like previous ones, a good number of retailers will extend their sales and turn the entire first week of December into a full-fledged Cyber ​​Week. Discounts won’t change, but brands might offer a free gift with purchase to convince you to checkout.

The strategist is designed to present helpful, expert recommendations on what to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Each product is independently selected by our team of editors, which you can view here. We update links when possible, but note that deals may expire and all prices are subject to change.