10 Black Friday Secrets Only the Shopping Pros Know

Below, more of our best advice to get the most out of Black Friday.

1. Do your research.

This might be obvious, but I need to get this out of the way: One of the most common Black Friday mistakes shoppers make is not having a plan. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the sales on Black Friday, but having a strategy will help streamline your shopping.

It’s easy to get swept up in the Black Friday frenzy, with online spending projected to reach $40.6 billion — but don’t let deeply discounted prices tempt you into impulsive purchases. “The worst deal is one you get on something you don’t actually need,” Teich says. “It’s always important to do your research and be discerning when you shop.”

That means setting a budget and prioritizing your must-have items. For big-ticket purchases, do a quick Google search to research top models or styles before you buy. (Shameless plug here, but Good Housekeeping has product reviews on everything from the best vacuums to the top toys for all ages, featuring items that have been thoroughly tested by our Lab pros in the Good Housekeeping Institute!)

2. Sign up for newsletters to get first dibs on deals.

To stay updated on deals as they go live, Teich recommends signing up for newsletters from your favorite retailers. “Some brands will drop exclusive or early access sales just for their newsletter subscribers,” she says. You can typically sign up via a pop-up when you visit the retailer’s site or find a “Newsletter” link at the bottom of the page. We also recommend signing up for Good Housekeeping‘s newsletter, where we’ll be sharing all the best deals we find, along with reader-exclusive discount codes.

For Amazon shoppers, Teich suggests setting up price alerts for wishlist items. While Amazon’s app previously had a straightforward deal alert feature, recent changes have made it trickier. Instead, we like to use Camelcamelcamel, a free website and browser extension that tracks Amazon product prices. To sign up for a price alert, input the product URL of the item you want to track and click “Add Amazon Price Watch” — you’ll receive email alerts whenever the price drops. This is one way we learn about deals on reader-favorite items.

3. Save your billing info for a faster checkout.

“Before Black Friday, I recommend enabling autofill on your laptop or mobile device to make easy work of filling out your billing and shipping info during checkout,” Teich says. “This makes the process so much faster, especially if you’re shopping doorbuster sales and need to move quickly.”

4. Compare prices with Google Shopping.

Another secret our shopping editors use is the Google Shopping tab. When I’m searching for the best price on a specific product, I type the exact model into Google and hit the “Shopping” tab at the menu up top. From there, I can see the various retailers that carry the item, along with retailer-specific prices. Since everything’s in one place, it’s easy to compare prices on the spot.

5. Take advantage of extended return policies.

The best deals typically appear on or close to Black Friday. However, if you shop early and find the item discounted further later on, Teich has a clever workaround.

“There are extended return policies around the holidays, so hang onto any receipts for anything you buy now through January,” Teich says. “For example, starting November 7 at Target, if you purchase an item and the price goes lower in store or online on or before December 24, you can request a price match.”

Teich shares more stores that offer similar policies:

• Nordstrom will adjust the price if the item you purchased goes on sale at Nordstrom or another competitor within 10 days of shipment.
• Amazon does not offer price matching but has extended return policies through the holidays. Most items purchased between November 1 and December 31 can be returned through January 31, 2025.
• Walmart also does not offer price matching but has extended return policies through the holidays. Most items purchased between October 1 and December 31 can be returned until January 31, 2025.

If your store doesn’t offer an extended return policy, Teich suggests a simple workaround: “If the item you bought goes on sale within the return window, purchase it again at the lower price and return the original, more expensive one.”

6. Use advanced search features to your advantage.

Retailers often offer advanced search filters that you can (and should) leverage to help you pinpoint certain price points or discounts. Different shoppers prefer different filters, but I like to explore them all:

• By percentage off: This is my favorite way to find the highest discounts so I know I’m getting a good deal.
• By price, low to high: With this method, you can find smaller items that you always use and might need a refill on (think socks, underwear, makeup, cheap off-brand tech or even home essentials).
  
• By price, high to low: I love this filter for finding deals on wishlist items or bigger-ticket items I’d normally not invest in at retail price.

7. Skip shopping in-store and stick to online deals.

“Last year, less than a third of U.S. consumers planned to shop in-store,” says Teich. While both in-store and online Black Friday shopping are growing, online shopping is outpacing in-store growth. “Shopping online is convenient for all the typical reasons — no crowds, travel or even shoes required,” she says. “The appeal is even greater with online-only exclusives, discounts and products unavailable in stores.”

8. If you must shop in store, look for doorbuster deals.

Teich highlights the main advantage of in-store shopping: getting your item immediately without worrying about shipping delays or misleading product images. “Some brick-and-mortar stores also offer doorbuster sales — those limited-time or limited-stock deals that used to have people camping out overnight on Thanksgiving,” she says. “However, these are becoming rarer in today’s ecommerce-driven world.”

Some Redditors suggest shopping on the Wednesday before Black Friday to avoid crowds while still scoring similar deals. Additionally, I have found that grocery stores often run their own sales on home essentials and pantry staples. They’re typically much quieter on Black Friday compared to big-box retailers like Walmart.

9. Take advantage of free loyalty program perks.

Loyalty programs can feel intimidating. I get it — why pay to save money? But I’m a big fan of free loyalty programs, and there are plenty to choose from. As a member, you often get early access to deals, exclusive discounts and even birthday perks. Here are some of my favorite free loyalty programs and their Black Friday perks:

• Target Circle: Now through Christmas Eve, Target Circle members can shop exclusive daily deals at up to 50% off.
• Sephora Beauty Insider: More details to come for Black Friday 2024, but in the past, Beauty Insiders could earn 4X bonus Insider Points on select fragrance purchases.
• LEGO Insiders: Official details to come for this year, but according to The Brick Fan, LEGO Insiders can redeem new-to-2024 sets like Icons The Endurance for 2,400 points starting on November 29.

10. Find amazing gift card deals on Amazon.

One of my favorite Black Friday finds is the gift card deals on Amazon. You can save 10% to 20% on popular brands, stores and entertainment, with occasional bulk discounts. I’ve seen deals on Apple, Roblox, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works and Regal Entertainment, among others.

There isn’t a permanent place where Amazon gift card deals live, but you can find them when you head to Amazon and click on “Today’s Deals.” When there are a good amount of deals, you can find “Gift Cards” on the left-hand side. These also sometimes populate as Lightning Deals, so you’ll have to act fast when they come.

Shanon is a writer and editor who specializes in best-of product roundups and deals. She has over six years of experience, including almost three years as a Good Housekeeping product and reviews editor, covering the best sales and products across home, appliances, health, beauty, parenting and more.

Expert consulted:Jessica Teich

Director, Editorial Commerce & Product Reviews

Jessica (she/her) is the director of editorial commerce and product reviews with over a decade of experience as a product tester, reviewer, writer and editor of beauty and lifestyle content. Previously she was the beauty editor at USA Today’s Reviewed where she launched the Beauty vertical and tested hundreds of products and has covered trends for publications like The Boston Globe and The New York Times. You can usually find her sorting through piles of beauty products — and testing the best ones on camera.