Hey! I’m Amanda.
I’m Tommy.
And we are deal experts! (Can you hear us shouting in unison?)
We’ve covered major shopping events for more than four years, including Black Friday and Prime Day.
We tracked prices on everyone’s favorite tech, home, and toy items over the years to see if Black Friday prices lived up to those retailers’ promises.
We spoke with dozens of industry experts in the retail and shopping spaces, as well as academics who study supply chains, pricing, marketing strategies and more.
Join us as we discuss all things Black Friday (November 28) – how we feel about these deals, what economic factors may play into your shopping, and what’s on our lists this year.
How are we feeling about Black Friday this year?
Amanda: My first thought is… I’m a little bored? We’ve come a long way
Amazon’s October Prime Big Deal Day sale and sales from all other competing retailers. I just kind of wonder what’s going to be new, you know? I look forward to seeing what some of the smaller, local shops have to offer. How are you feeling about it?
Tommy: I am overwhelmed. This is the word. I love saving money, but I find all these early deals exhausting.
Amanda: It’s funny, just logging into Instagram, Tektok – it feels like we’re inundated with gift guides and gift guides and halls from all over.
Tommy: Sometimes I wonder if I’d just spend an extra $20 on everything to get away with all the hype? If they just leave me alone, I will pay the full price.
Amanda: With three kids, I don’t know if you can afford it!
Tommy: It is true.
Is there really a perfect time to buy?
Amanda: This is the question we return to every year on Black Friday. Is there really a perfect time to buy, or has this idea become a myth?
Tommy: I would say that paying attention to prices is more important than time. Just looking at price history gives you a good idea. And as we’ve seen, good prices come and go whether there’s a sale or not.
Amanda: I also track products. I add items to my cart and check every couple of days to see what the price is. This helps me, because when the actual Friday sales happen, I can find a real deal or just hype.
Tommy: I’m like you – I save and view items I like in my cart. I know how low the price has been in the past. When I get a good deal, I get it.
Amanda: I’m always surprised when I see a lower price than the week before the big sale during the actual sale.
New technologies allow retailers to change prices by the day, hour or minute. This can be really frustrating, and it’s very different from previous Black Friday pricing models.
I remember waking up early the day after Thanksgiving with my mom and driving to Best Buy to get in line to buy a DVD player. I may be old myself, but this memory feels different from Black Friday shopping than it does today.
Amanda: True – but they can also get stuck and spend even more. I think the best thing you can do is have a list of your ‘must haves’ and track those over the weeks that lead to big sales.
More stories like this? Yes, please!
Find exclusive content, rich storytelling, first-person accounts, trending news and original reporting in the NerdWallet app.
Is it still worth shopping on real Black Friday?
Amanda: Black Friday gives planners like me a tight deadline. You have to wrap these presents and take them under the tree. There’s an urgency to it that moves me.
And as we’ve seen in price-tracking research for NerdWallet, Black Friday weekend often wins for the best prices on many items of the year, especially tech devices and kitchen gadgets.
Amanda: Some people really thrive under pressure. They love the power deal with just over three minutes left. That’s part of the thrill. They want to get up the morning after Thanksgiving and see what they can score.
How has covering big sales changed our approach to shopping?
Amanda: We’ve known each other for four years, and I have to say that writing about shopping has really changed you.
Tommy: Yes, I think it is. It’s funny because I’m now painfully aware of how these heavily hyped sales events can sway us, yet I still struggle to avoid impractical, impulse purchases. I get more mad at myself, even though I know when I make the wrong move.
what did i do I let the urge win, ordered the iPhone to be given a fresh air, and had what I hated myself for a few days. Finally, I sent it back.
How has it changed you? Because you have always been a planner.
Amanda: I have learned a lot by covering these sales. Like you, I think about shopping a lot more than I usually do. So my big question to myself is: What am I going to do with what I know now?
Are we using AI for shopping this year?
Tommy: No. I’m not big on AI for purchases yet, but I could see that coming down the road. To keep track of prices, I like what I get right now. What about you?
Any big sales or retailers to watch?
Amanda: I’m looking forward to some of the smaller retailers I like. What about you?
Tommy: I’m looking for labobs ; Only labs.
Joke! I’m after clothes for my wife and mom, and I love getting deals on the actual Black Friday ones. I’ll browse online for good bargains like Gap, American Eagle, Old Navy, and some high-end brands, like Voorrie. I’m doing it all in PJs, of course. With your coffee.
What challenges should buyers face?
This is a small example, but I was looking for a gift for my son on Amazon.
Out of curiosity, I checked the invoice – it was $19 in 2019 and it would cost me $36 to buy this year. The price has doubled in six years.
Tommy: YIKES. And as you said, subtle increases in many categories can affect the overall budget.
Amanda: As parents of young children, I wonder if our kids even remember what they got for Christmas last year? Probably not, right? This can be an opportunity for families to think about what it means to create holiday magic. Maybe it’s with gifts, but maybe it’s reimagining the holidays in a way that feels right for our budget.
Tommy: Maybe someone I know will get me an iPhone Air. 🙏
