Tips for getting the best Black Friday deals

Kevin Ko
·1 min read

Twas the week before Black Friday, when all through Puget Sound… Black Friday deals are already around?

You may have noticed some retailers holding Black Friday sales, including Best Buy.

Best Buy is one of several retailers well-known for its doorbuster deals, which attract eager bargain hunters and long lines for hours (and, sometimes, days).

However, holiday shoppers are already on the hunt for bargains, according to Google’s Allie Valasek Weeks.

“We do see people start shopping for deals and their holiday shopping as early as July,” Valasek Weeks said. “For the most part, people are searching for deals in November. We do see a big spike around Black Friday and Cyber Monday.”

Google offers a plethora of services for holiday shoppers:

  • The ‘Holiday 100′ shows the top 100 trending items, including options to differentiate items by price, category, and trend.

  • Googling ‘Shop Deals’ will show you the most recent sales, including different stores/options to purchase.

  • ‘Google Lens’ allows you to take a photo with your phone, and then see similar images you can shop from. This allows you to find similar, cheaper options if the product you want is too pricey for your liking.

  • Google ‘Try On’ is an AI shopping feature that launched this summer, which allows you to see clothes on a wide range of models.

There are also other apps available to track prices at Amazon, Walmart, and more.

If you want to be more intentional with your holiday shopping, a group of Seattle’s Black-owned businesses are holding ‘Black Black Friday.’

Partnering with BECU, Seattle-area shoppers can buy a ‘Black Black Friday’ prepaid card, which can be used in-person and online at more than 100 Black-owned small businesses. (A $50 card can be purchased for $40, while an $100 card can be purchased for $80.)