Shopping tricks to prepare for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2024
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are perfect opportunities to pick up the gifts you may have missed during Prime Day – often at the best prices of the year. As we approach these major shopping events, a slew of early deals and discounts are already rolling in from major retailers like Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Apple. With Black Friday just around the corner, even more discounts are likely to appear. Here at CNET, we keep an eye on the latest deals and curate our top recommendations to make your holiday shopping experience easy.
Here you’ll find simple strategies to help you make the most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, including budget tips, ad research tricks, browser extension ideas, and more smart shipping hacks to keep your holiday shopping on track. Once you’re up to speed, don’t miss our tips for saving on shipping and sending gifts directly through Amazon to make it even easier. We’ve even got insider news on when your favorite stores are open, so you can start your physical shopping early.
This story is part of Gift Guideour year-round collection of the best gift ideas.
Don’t worry, we’re about to dive into all the useful shopping advice. But first, let’s highlight some of the best early deals already available to give you a head start. And get a crash course in shopping online safely before you spend a cent.
Where to start: The best deals before Black Friday and Cyber Monday start
The best early Black Friday deals are available now: Your first stop for the latest and greatest deals we’ve found so far.
Best Black Friday Deals Under $50: All the best deals we found under $50.
Best Black Friday Deals Under $25: If you’re looking to save some money this holiday season, these steals under $25 might be for you.
Join our texting group: Get the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals straight to your phone during the run-up and throughout the event.
Be sure to check back throughout the month for CNET’s live blog, where we round up the best live Black Friday deals.
Best early Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals by store
Do you have a favorite store? We have plenty of store-specific deal overviews to help you get started.
Best early Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals by topic
We’re actively updating our evergreen deals stories so we can add the latest and greatest offers after Black Friday and early Cyber Monday.
Do you have all that? Good. Now let’s talk about some general Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping tips.
Set a budget and set money aside
Whether you’re buying something for yourself or bringing gifts for friends and family, the holiday season seems to come so quickly every year. That’s why it’s wise to budget for it throughout the year so that you don’t put so much strain on your last few paychecks of the year.
With many Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales already underway (see above) and general post-election economic unrest, you need to be wiser than ever about spending limits. It’s a good idea to set a maximum that you are willing to spend in total and then track your expenses during the event. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of deals going live and not pay close enough attention to how much you’re spending, but that self-responsibility will be key to avoiding massive overspending.
Decide now what you want to buy and check the prices
While many purchases on Black Friday and Cyber Monday are made impulsively, a more effective way to shop is to identify purchase goals and make a list in advance. There are a few reasons why this is a better approach. First, you can now review prices, which will help you with your budget and savings goals. By doing the research now, you can also find out what is actually a good deal to buy during the event, and whether a ‘sale price’ doesn’t stray too far from a product’s normal price.
During Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, you can also work through the list you made to get everything you need in an organized way, while doing your best to avoid wasting money on impulse purchases.
Watch as many Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads as possible before the event
Part of your pre-event research should involve checking as much as possible Black Friday ad scans as you can. Not only is this the best way to get a taste of the deals available at the event, but you can also budget more effectively and shop more efficiently if you know where the best prices can be found.
Shop the early sale now or plan for shipping delays
As previously mentioned, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales don’t wait until the day itself before they start; many of them are already live. If you can lock in a low price now, it will not only help spread the cost, but it can also help you avoid a significant shipping delay or miss out on a deal later. Because of the difference of a few dollars between now and Black Friday itself, it may be worth it to grab things you need now. If you don’t need something urgently, you might want to wait a little longer.
These are the best early Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales:
Compare prices with the CNET Shopping extension
Is that Black Friday deal really a deal? Instead of looking up the prices of Amazon’s retail competitors one by one, you can do it instantly with a price comparison extension for your web browser. There are several on the market, but CNET now has its own extension: CNET Shopping (formerly known as PriceBlink). It works at a number of retailers and can show you the best current deal, price history for select items, retailer coupons to help you increase your savings, and more.
Best of all? The extension is completely free. Try it right now in Google Chrome.
Follow the CNET Deals team
The CNET Deals team will keep you up to date with all the best deals between now and Black Friday, so sign up for the CNET Deals newsletter. We have plenty of other shopping tips for you how to save on used electronics and the best benefits of amazon prime.
