Black Friday Shopping Tips: How to Win This Year's Holiday Sales

This year, Black Friday is slated for November 24th, but for many retailers and consumers alike, the holiday shopping season is already in full swing. Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and many other retailers began promoting deals well in advance in an effort to entice users. But what does it mean for you? What should you know to win Black Friday this year?

Firstly, free price comparison browser extensions are a helpful way to ensure that you're getting the best price while shopping online. CNET has one called CNET Shopping, and there are several others available as well. When you have a shopping browser extension installed and you're browsing a product online, you'll get a notification if that same product is available at a lower price from another retailer. Extensions can also scrape the web for coupon codes, although sometimes expired codes get pulled into these results.

Another key thing to consider is between persistent inflation and the resumption of federal student loan payments last month, consumers may be less likely to splurge this year, which means retailers will need to be more competitive with their deals and discounts. To take advantage of this, compare prices on several different marketplaces when you can, as this will give you a better idea of where to find the best deal. If you already know what products you want to buy and you want to put a few extra dollars back in your pocket, consider shopping on a cashback marketplace like Rakuten.

The way cashback marketplaces work is they redirect users to retailers' websites using an affiliate link, but rather than take the entire purchase commission for themselves, they split the commission with the customer in the form of cash back. This can be a good option if you already have a good idea of what products you want and where to purchase them. Many products purchased at this time of year will have a return or exchange policy that extends into the new year, so it's essential to make sure you know the specifics so you don't get stuck with something you don't like.

For instance, on Amazon, products purchased are R returnable through January 31st except for Apple Brand Products which must be returned by Jan January 15th. At Best Buy, the return deadline for most products is January 13th, but if you're a My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total member, you'll have 60 days from the date of purchase. It's always good to check the return policy so you stay in the know.

Credit card signup bonuses can also entice users to take out new lines of credit if they're diligent about paying off their balance at the end of the month. A signup bonus can be a great way to squeeze a few hundred extra dollars out of your holiday shopping efforts. However, it's crucial not to overspend as the interest on a credit card balance will quickly cancel out any financial benefits gained.

Holidays are the busiest time of the year for e-commerce, and this also means it's the busiest time of year for package theft. To avoid having your package stolen if you expect it to arrive at a time when you won't be home, see if you can have it shipped to a local UPS store or FedEx store. There will be a handling fee for this, but it's usually just a dollar or two. Amazon also offers Amazon Key in Garage Delivery which is free if you let Amazon wait to deliver it to you until your designated Amazon day, or $1.99 if you want delivery on a specific day.

Black Friday shopping doesn't have to be stressful; implementing one or more of these tips this year will give you an easier time getting the gear you and your loved ones really want.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis year Black Friday is slated for November 24th but for many retailers and consumers alike the holiday shopping season is already in full swing Amazon Walmart Best Buy and many other retailers began promoting deals well in advance in an effort to entice users but what does it mean for you what should you know to win Black Friday this year here are five tips to keep in mind free price comparison browser extensions are a helpful way to ensure your getting the best price while shopping online CNET has one called CNET shopping and there are several others when you have a shopping browser extension installed and you're browsing a product online you'll get a notification if that same product is available at a lower price from another retailer extensions can also scrape the web for coupon codes although sometimes expired codes get pulled into these results between persistent inflation and the resumption of federal student loan payments last month consumers may be less likely to SP lurge this year which means retailers will need to be more competitive with their deals and discounts compare prices on several different marketplaces when you can to get the best deal if you already know what products you want to buy and you want to put a few extra dollars back in your pocket consider shopping on a cashback Marketplace like raketen the way cashback marketplaces work is they redirect users to retailers websites using an affiliate link but rather than take the entire purchase commission for themselves they split the commission with the customer in the form of cash back this can be a good option if you already have a good idea of what products you want and where to purchase them many products purchased at this time of year will have a return or exchange policy that extends into the new year it's good to make sure you know the specifics so you don't get stuck with something you don't like for example on Amazon products purchased are R returnable through January 31st except for Apple Brand Products which must be returned by Jan January 15th and at Best Buy the return deadline for most products is January 13th but if you're a my Best Buy Plus or my Best by total member you'll have 60 days from the date of purchase if you're not 100% sure you or your loved one will keep the holiday purchase check the return policy so you stay in the know credit card signup bonuses entice users to take out new lines of credit if you're diligent about paying off your balance at the end of the month a signup bonus can be a great way to to squeeze a few hundred extra dollars out of your holiday shopping efforts a CNET report found that households making under $40,000 a year plan to spend an average of about $185 on holiday packages those earning between 40K and 80k plan to spend an average of about $259 and Americans making 80k or more plan to spend an average of about $528 for some households the cash back bonus on a new credit card would cover the entire holiday budget but you'll want to make sure you don't don't overspend as the interest that acrs on a credit card balance will quickly cancel out the financial benefits gleaned holidays are the busiest time of the year for e-commerce that also means it's the busiest time of year for package theft don't let a porch pirate ruin your festivities if you expect your package to arrive at a time when you won't be home see if you can have it shipped to a local UPS store or FedEx store there will be a handling fee for this but it's usually just a dollar or two Amazon also offers Amazon key in garage delivery which is free if you let Amazon wait to deliver it to you until your designated Amazon day or $1.99 if you want delivery on a specific day Black Friday shopping doesn't have to be stressful Implement one or more of these tips this year and you'll have an easier time getting the gear you and your loved ones really want thanks for watching and check out more helpful tips by following CET and visiting cnet.comthis year Black Friday is slated for November 24th but for many retailers and consumers alike the holiday shopping season is already in full swing Amazon Walmart Best Buy and many other retailers began promoting deals well in advance in an effort to entice users but what does it mean for you what should you know to win Black Friday this year here are five tips to keep in mind free price comparison browser extensions are a helpful way to ensure your getting the best price while shopping online CNET has one called CNET shopping and there are several others when you have a shopping browser extension installed and you're browsing a product online you'll get a notification if that same product is available at a lower price from another retailer extensions can also scrape the web for coupon codes although sometimes expired codes get pulled into these results between persistent inflation and the resumption of federal student loan payments last month consumers may be less likely to SP lurge this year which means retailers will need to be more competitive with their deals and discounts compare prices on several different marketplaces when you can to get the best deal if you already know what products you want to buy and you want to put a few extra dollars back in your pocket consider shopping on a cashback Marketplace like raketen the way cashback marketplaces work is they redirect users to retailers websites using an affiliate link but rather than take the entire purchase commission for themselves they split the commission with the customer in the form of cash back this can be a good option if you already have a good idea of what products you want and where to purchase them many products purchased at this time of year will have a return or exchange policy that extends into the new year it's good to make sure you know the specifics so you don't get stuck with something you don't like for example on Amazon products purchased are R returnable through January 31st except for Apple Brand Products which must be returned by Jan January 15th and at Best Buy the return deadline for most products is January 13th but if you're a my Best Buy Plus or my Best by total member you'll have 60 days from the date of purchase if you're not 100% sure you or your loved one will keep the holiday purchase check the return policy so you stay in the know credit card signup bonuses entice users to take out new lines of credit if you're diligent about paying off your balance at the end of the month a signup bonus can be a great way to to squeeze a few hundred extra dollars out of your holiday shopping efforts a CNET report found that households making under $40,000 a year plan to spend an average of about $185 on holiday packages those earning between 40K and 80k plan to spend an average of about $259 and Americans making 80k or more plan to spend an average of about $528 for some households the cash back bonus on a new credit card would cover the entire holiday budget but you'll want to make sure you don't don't overspend as the interest that acrs on a credit card balance will quickly cancel out the financial benefits gleaned holidays are the busiest time of the year for e-commerce that also means it's the busiest time of year for package theft don't let a porch pirate ruin your festivities if you expect your package to arrive at a time when you won't be home see if you can have it shipped to a local UPS store or FedEx store there will be a handling fee for this but it's usually just a dollar or two Amazon also offers Amazon key in garage delivery which is free if you let Amazon wait to deliver it to you until your designated Amazon day or $1.99 if you want delivery on a specific day Black Friday shopping doesn't have to be stressful Implement one or more of these tips this year and you'll have an easier time getting the gear you and your loved ones really want thanks for watching and check out more helpful tips by following CET and visiting cnet.com\n"