It might be just the first week of October, but whether you’re ready for it or not, the holiday sales season is set to begin. So, what should and shouldn’t you shop early for?
BlackFriday.com shopping expert Kristin McGrath said toys are a smart early-season buy, especially if your kiddo or loved one wants something specific and you can find it in stock during an October sale.
But here are some items she said you should hold off on buying now.
“It can be strategic to wait on those big tech items, so your laptops, your tablets, your headphones, your expensive earbuds, things like that. Those tend to see their absolute lowest prices during Black Friday or Black Friday week,” she said.
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McGrath said to use these early steals and deals to your wallet’s advantage. If you know what you need to buy, you can start budgeting for it now.
“It's good to spread out those expenses a little early, get some things a little bit early, so you're not having to make all those November paychecks stretch. And of course, you know, inflation is at record highs, so there might be a few things on your list that you've been putting off buying … so these deals are a chance to maybe get those things for less,” McGrath said.
Pre-holiday sales events keep starting earlier and earlier.
“It's really started within the past four to five years,” said McGrath.
“I think also the pandemic really accelerated these early sales because you saw in 2020, you know, it wasn't a good look for retailers to smash people into stores on Black Friday. So they really started offering these preview deals, these savings events leading up to Black Friday to kind of spread things out," McGrath said.
It’s a trend retail experts have been tracking for years now and the opening act to Black Friday began this week.
Target is offering three days of savings on items in-store and online rom Oct. 6 through Oct. 8.
“Deal Days” are coming a week earlier than last year and Amazon is also ready for you to fill your online carts.
Its “Prime Early Access Sale” is a prime member exclusive event Oct. 11 and 12.
“We know from previous iterations of similar events from these retailers that there are going to be some of the best prices of the year as well as category-wide savings on things like clothing, beauty, home goods, things like, so they’re definitely worth checking out,” McGrath said about these October sales.
Target is offering a holiday price match guarantee, which means anything you buy now through Dec. 24 will be eligible for a price match if you find the item discounted at another retailer’s upcoming sales events.
Some peace of mind if you purchase now.
