3 Reasons to Do Your Holiday Shopping Before Black Friday

There’s a reason so many people wait until Black Friday to start shopping for the holidays. Not only is Black Friday known for its door-breaking deals, but you may also need a few extra weeks to save money for the gifts you want to buy.

While it’s pretty common to postpone holiday shopping until Black Friday, this decision could backfire on you. That’s why it pays to start your holiday shopping now rather than waiting.

1. You can find better deals in early November

Black Friday is known for its great prices. But these days, retailers tend to have holiday deals for the majority of November, which some will label as “early Black Friday deals.”

Take Costco for example. There are already plenty of holiday season discounts available on the website and at warehouse club stores.

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Similarly, Target already has a bunch of Black Friday sales available. When you go to your favorite store or browse the website, you can already see a lot of discounted products there.

There’s no point in waiting until Black Friday if the items you want are already significantly discounted. And remember, you’re not guaranteed to get the best price on Black Friday anyway. So if the price of a product works for you right now, go for it.

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2. If you wait, your most important purchases may sell out

There may be must-buy items on your holiday list, like the toys your kids want most or the gadget your spouse has been talking about for weeks. If you wait until Black Friday to do your holiday shopping, you run the risk of these items selling out.

Now the most wanted items on your shopping list may not be on sale yet. If so, you need to ask yourself if you can afford to buy them without the discount and risk them selling out before the holiday to save 10 or 15% on their cost.

3. If the items you purchased are more expensive than you expected, you have time to make changes

It’s a good idea to create a holiday budget to avoid ending the season with credit card debt. However, this can be difficult to budget as retail prices can fluctuate.

This is another reason to do your shopping before Black Friday. If you start working through your list in the coming days and realize that the items you want are more expensive than you expected, you have time to manage the situation.

This might mean taking on a side gig to cover higher costs or choosing replacement products that better fit your budget. If you wait until Black Friday, you may feel more pressure to buy more expensive items while you can and deal with the aftermath.

It’s not that unusual to start shopping for the holidays on Black Friday. You may not be ready to think about buying gifts yet. But another benefit of doing your shopping early is removing a potentially stressful and time-consuming task from your shoulders sooner. It might be worth starting before Black Friday for that reason alone.