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Black Friday confusion: Which day is really the best for shopping this year?

With sales spread over a whole month, it's hard to know when to shop

With Black Friday sales now stretching on for weeks, which days really have the best deals?

By: John Matarese

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CINCINNNATI — In the pre-pandemic world, Black Friday shopping used to be so easy — and fun as well.

You would gather up the ad inserts (whatever happened to them?), then plan your Thanksgiving night or Friday shopping spree.

After a few hours, you'd refuel at Waffle House or IHOP, and then do it all over again.

But COVID, and the move to online shopping, changed all that.

Major stores are now closed on Thanksgiving, with Walmart's Scott Rakel telling us "this lets our associates spend time with their families, and our customers also spend time with their families."

But it has left shoppers now wondering when they will find the best deals.

When the deals start

The sales really started in early November, according to the savings site RetailMeNot.

Walmart started its first sales right after the calendar turned, and Amazon and Best Buy launched their Black Friday deals Nov. 17, with Target following on Nov. 19.

RetailMeNot says 83% of shoppers were starting their shopping before Thanksgiving.

But don't feel like you have missed the boat: the biggest sales launch Wednesday afternoon, the day before Thanksgiving, when Walmart launches its full Black Friday sale online.

For instance, that is when you should find the lowest prices on Apple Watches, and other high-demand gifts.

Walmart, Target and other stores will then open their doors with those deals in person early Friday morning, but there is no need to wait till then if you shop online.

And while Target and Best Buy are already running most of their sales now, they are expected to add more items on Thursday and Friday, to create a new round of excitement.

Why such a long Black Friday?

RetailMeNot tells NPR that Black Friday is losing some of its allure because it now goes on for so long.

Gone are the days when you knew you could score those great deals on Thanksgiving night.

But it benefits retailers in that it brings in more sales over a longer period, than just two days.

So the experts say your best bet is to shop for items that might be in short supply now, such as gaming consoles, or a particular brand of 4K TVs, and not wait until Friday.

But if it is something plentiful, like clothing or small appliances, Thursday and Friday might bring the best deals.

And you could find even better deals on small items on Cyber Monday, when retailers often slash prices on things that didn't sell well over the weekend.

Confusing? A bit. It almost makes you miss the days of those long lines.

As always, don't waste your money.

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