SALT LAKE CITY — Black Friday deals are arriving this month at some big box stores.
Target Deal Days start Thursday October 6 while Amazon will host its Prime Day 2.0 the following week, October 11 and 12.
Out of the dizzying number of items that will be discounted, FOX 13 News asked the coupon and deal experts at DealNews.com for help identifying items that you could get the best deals on.
According to Julie Ramhold, a consumer analyst with the site:
Good bets:
- Seasonal Apparel (sweaters, boots, and jeans)
- Toys
- Amazon and Target-branded items
“I would say be really careful when it comes to certain electronics deals for these events,” explained Ramhold. Typically, she said people can get better deals on TVs, laptops, and the latest smartphones around Black Friday.
While the so called “Black Friday creep” has been happening for years, Ramhold says the pandemic forced Amazon to host its Prime Day in October rather than July in 2020.
She believes this accelerated the trend of unofficially kicking off the holiday shopping season in October.
“Holiday season, you just say that word… it’s like a candle, so many smells, sounds, feelings,” according to Dr. Tamara Masters, a marketing professor at the University of Utah.
“You get people in the mood to start shopping for others sooner, and it makes consumers feel good, especially in a time when consumer confidence is down.”
Respectively, Masters believes it helps a business’ bottom line since they typically make their most profits for the year during the holidays.
Ramhold advises people to take the time to look in advance at the items you’re interested in before holiday sales events in October, November, and December so you can better understand what the product usually sells for.
While Target has a holiday guarantee policy, Amazon does not.
Ramhold suggests using camelcamelcamel, which helps you track an Amazon product’s price history.
DealNews also allows you to create a free account where you can customize the items you’re looking for.
