The Best Tips for Shopping Black Friday and Cyber Monday Like a Pro

Lauren Swanson
Updated
Want to know how to shop the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals of 2018? Try these tricks to spend less and get way more.

If you have a reputation of snagging deals on everything you buy, then you probably already have your Black Friday and Cyber Monday plans mapped out. However, if you’re curious about how to take advantage of the biggest shopping holiday of the year, then we have some tips for you.

For starters, Black Friday 2018 officially starts on Friday (duh!), November 23 with many retailers offering deals throughout the weekend. Cyber Monday, which has been a recent addition to the shopping extravaganza, is on November 26. Throughout these few days, shoppers can purchase high-ticket items for a fraction of the price and even cross a few names off their holiday gift list.

To break it down for you, here are some simple steps to ensure your Black Friday experience goes as smoothly and successfully as possible:

Step 1: Prioritize your shopping list to determine what you actually need to buy.

The rule applies that it’s only a good deal if you were planning on buying it before it was on sale. Otherwise, you’re just spending money you could have spent elsewhere. Make a list of everything you need and where you want to shop. Start with the high-priority items and go on from there.

Step 2: Take advantage of early deals when available.

Major retailers, like Target and Amazon, are offering Black Friday deals ahead of the actual shopping holiday. They even offer doorbuster deals both in-stores and online for those extra early shoppers. If you want to, you can even start shopping Thursday night. Just make sure that you've digested your turkey first.

Step 3: Do your research.

Make sure to bookmark Allure’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals coverage. We’ll be sharing our favorite sales and all the must-haves that we’re shopping for this weekend, including our favorite deals on beauty products.

Step 4: Keep up to date on all the deals.

Sign up for Allure’s newsletter because we will be featuring our favorite picks and sending our roundup of all the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2018 deals, as well as throughout the entire year. You’ll get it all straight to your inbox, which means less work for you.

Step 5: Don’t forget to shop for the entire weekend.

Many retailers are keeping the huge sales going for multiple days past Black Friday and into Cyber Monday. Some discounts even get better as the days go on.

Now that you're stocked with our favorite tips, go out and get shopping before all the discounts and exclusives are over until this time next year.

More holiday shopping tips and gifts:

For all those last-minute holiday shoppers out there:

See the video.