4 Tricks to Win Black Friday and Cyber Monday, According to a Retail Expert

Believe it or not, your Thanksgiving feast is only the beginning of the holiday weekend fun. Once the turkey has been carved, the sides have been doled out, and you’ve been able to relish in your food coma, it’s time to take off your apron and get your e-cart ready for some serious Cyber Week shopping.

Black Friday has been one of the biggest—if not the biggest—shopping days of the year since its founding in 1951; however, a lot has changed over the decades. Instead of storming your local department store at the crack of dawn, most savvy shoppers are flocking to their computers to score the best deals online. And why limit your shopping to the day Thanksgiving? Now, there’s Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday—and that’s on top of all the early-bird access. 

Cyber Week has certainly taken on a life of its own, and the abundance of deals to sift through is downright overwhelming. So, where to begin? To help streamline your shopping spree—so you can spend less time browsing and more time enjoying your holiday weekend—we tapped Stephanie Carls to share her top Cyber Week tips and tricks. As RetailMeNot’s retail insights expert, Carls knows a thing or two about making the most of an online shopping spree. And, with her advice, you’ll hopefully be able to snag the best value.

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Prep Your E-Cart

Since Cyber Week has a lot of deals to peruse, Carls says it’s best to come up with a plan before you start shopping. “Research products you’re interested in ahead of time and create a wishlist,” she explains. “You want to make sure you aren’t buying items simply because they are available at a huge discount, and you actually get the items you’ve been looking for.” 

Cyber Week can be a great time to pick up everyday essentials—or even get a head-start on your holiday shopping—but you should never spend money just to spend money. After all, why buy a vacuum that is 30 percent off when you have a perfectly fine one collecting dust at home? 

Once you make your shopping list—and check it twice— take a few minutes to price check your deal. “Before you check out, make sure you’re comparing sale prices across retailers to ensure you’re truly scoring the best deal,” Carls says. If venturing to multiple websites sounds too time-consuming, you can always check out a third-party website. For example, a platform called CamelCamelCamel is a great way to track prices on Amazon. 

Follow Your Favorites

Big-box retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart aren’t the only stores with a treasure trove of Cyber Week discounts: Plenty of smaller companies have their fair share of sales. To keep up with the latest steals and deals, Carls recommends subscribing to your favorite brands’ mailing lists. Most retailers, she says, make it simple to sign up directly on their website. “Once you start getting the emails delivered to your inbox, you’ll learn about the upcoming sales and receive money-saving coupons and promo codes. If available, you should also download the apps for your favorite stores and brands—and follow them on social media.”

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Schedule Your Shopping

Now that there’s an entire week dedicated to holiday sales, when is the best time to buy? Well, it depends. If you’re looking for something very particular, it’s a good idea to shop early in case your dream order goes out of stock. However, if you’re planning to wait until after Thanksgiving, Carls says Black Friday is generally a good time to purchase toys, tech gadgets, and home goods such as small kitchen appliances and vacuums. 

Not only is Cyber Monday a good time to look at any sales you might’ve missed, but this day typically has great deals on categories like professional services and travel. “Streaming service deals for example aren’t going to sell out, so you can wait until Cyber Monday to see if the deal gets better,” Carls notes.

Stack Your Savings

Carls’s biggest Cyber Week myth-buster? Don’t take those discounted prices at face value. “Take advantage of shopping the holiday sales by shopping through cash back sites like RetailMeNot to find and automatically apply the best promo codes and cashback offers on top of every purchase at top stores to stack your savings,” she says. 

While some shopping services will automatically apply additional promo codes for an even lower price. For example, RetailMeNot has an app and browser extension to keep you updated on the best deals. However, many retailers will offer additional coupons and discounts to members of their loyalty program—yet another reason to follow your favorite brands. Regardless of how you find your promo codes, coupon stacking can be a stealth way to get some major bang for your buck.