MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Black Friday’s almost upon us – and that should mean savings.
But is it better to plan for the big box stores or just get deals online?
When it comes to holiday shopping, Black Friday shopping started early this year.
One expert said deals began a month in advance.
“We're not expecting the craziness that we would see, you know, 5-10 years ago. That's for multiple reasons this year," WalletHub Analyst Jill Gonzalez said. "First of all, more people are shopping online, especially since the pandemic.”
If you usually head to the Wolfchase or Oakcourt Mall the day after Thanksgiving, you may be a dying breed.
Gonzalez said Black Friday isn’t a standalone shopping day but instead an entire season.
“Retailers like Amazon, Target, Walmart, all had their big deal days back in October," she said. "So a lot of people have gotten some of the heavy lifting out of the way.”
“There is inflation, you know, people are reining in their spending this year, though 40% of Americans actually said that they plan on foregoing gifts, singularly due to inflation,” Gonzalez said.
When it comes to deals – mostly they’ll be the same in-store as online.
“The exception is when big box retailers have their doorbusters, you know, so maybe a certain TV that's high on everyone's list of a certain limited amount of deals on iPhones or things like that, that you have to show up in store to get,” Gonzalez said.
When it comes to that average percent discount:“The number to keep in mind whether you're shopping online or in-store is 37. That's the magic number that is the average discount,” Gonzalez said.
So if you’re looking at your cart – and see a lesser discount than 37 percent – it might not be a true Black Friday deal.