Working on your Black Friday game plan? These stores have the best deals, report says
The turkey is gone, the pies compared and consumed. Loved ones with full bellies have drifted off on the couch for their Thanksgiving naps, but not you.
You’re sorting through pages and pages of newspapers ads, plotting your plan of attack for the Battle of Black Friday. But it’s time to put down the highlighter, bargain hunter, because this year, WalletHub has done the hard work for you.
The personal finance website just released its list of stores with the best Black Friday deals for 2019.
WalletHub looked at almost 8,000 deals in the ad scans of the nation’s biggest retailers to determine the stores with the best discounts in categories such as jewelry, apparel, appliances and technology.
Best Discounts
Stage nabbed the top spot for best overall discount, offering an average 69.8% price cut, the report says. The Houston-based company operates stores under the names Stage, Bealls, Palais Royal, Peebles and Goody’s.
Other stores with the highest average discount were Belk, Bealls Florida, JCPenney and Kohl’s, according to WalletHub.
Fan favorites Target and Amazon offered discounts of 34.3% and 25.4% respectively, with Macy’s offering an average 46.1% and Nordstrom 36.9%.
Walmart’s average discount was 34.4%.
Hoping to snag a phone or computer at an affordable price? Wallethub says JCPenney, Lenovo, HP, Belk and Office Depot will have the biggest average discounts while Fred Meyer, JCPenney, Belk, Kohl’s and BJ’s are the best stores for discounts on electronics.
Walmart and Best Buy are your best bets for discounts on books, music and movies, according to the report, and toy shoppers will find the best deals at JCPenney, Kmart and Kohl’s.
Jewelry purchases are less likely to break the bank at Belk and Kohl’s, and those looking for appliances will find an average 74.8% discount at Stage.
What’s usually on sale?
Of the discounts offered by the 29 retailers in WalletHub’s study, accessories and apparel accounted for 22% of all discounts followed by computers and phones at 12.73% and appliances at 9.02%.
Consumer packaged goods accounted for the smallest percentage of discounts at 3.02%, while video games, movies, music and books also ranked among the lowest.
Expert Advice
While the frenzy of Black Friday can be part of the fun, experts warn shoppers to not get swept up in the spending craze and recommend going into it with a budget and a buddy.
They also suggest researching the average prices for items you’re most interested in to avoid a common “marketing trap” in which products are overpriced and then marked down, according to the report.
All in all, experts say to remember that you’re in control.
“Remind yourself you are in charge of the whole process,” A. Ant Ozok told WalletHub. “Never rush. A missed bargain is not a huge loss for you. Get only the things you feel you need, ask yourself if you are acting impulsively before deciding to buy.”
You can read the whole report here.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Working on your Black Friday game plan? These stores have the best deals, report says."