I've been getting Black Friday ads since mid-October, which feels earlier every year. Last year I tracked a TV price for weeks, and it was actually cheaper in September than it was on Black Friday itself, so I've gotten a bit skeptical. Do you check prices ahead of time, or do you just grab whatever looks like a good deal on the day? Has anyone actually found a genuinely great deal this year, or is it mostly inflated "was" prices?
A simple check that helps: put the item into a price-history tracker (there are free browser extensions and sites for big retailers) and see what it actually sold for over the last few months. If the Black Friday price is the same as its usual low, the "was" price is just decoration. Electronics like TVs and headphones do often hit real lows in late November, but plenty of other stuff is cheaper at random sales during the year.
I'm skeptical too — I saw a TV 'marked down' from $999 to $699, but I'm pretty sure it was $699 a month ago. I only buy now if I've actually tracked the price first, otherwise it just feels like a fake discount.
That $999 to $699 trick is really common. Many stores raise the list price a few weeks before the sale so the markdown looks bigger. Checking the price history first, like you're doing, is the best defense. Also worth knowing: lots of retailers offer price adjustments, so if you buy now and the price drops on Black Friday, you can sometimes get the difference back.
I feel the same way — the ads starting in mid-October make it hard to tell what is a real deal. I now check the price history before buying anything big, and if it was cheaper a month ago, I just wait.
I am skeptical too, especially with the ads starting so early. I have started checking what something actually cost a few weeks ago before I get excited about a big percentage off, because that inflated original price trick is everywhere. I will still keep an eye out for a genuinely good deal, but I am much less likely to buy on impulse now than I used to be.
Same here — the mid-October ads are what tipped me off too. I like the price-history idea; after Monica's example of a TV being cheaper in September, I'm not trusting a big "was" price unless I can see what it actually sold for recently.
One more trick for this year: save screenshots of prices you're watching now. If the store has a price-adjustment policy, a dated screenshot makes it easy to ask for the difference later, and it also keeps you honest when the 'was' price suddenly goes up in November.
Un consejo más: muchas tiendas publican sus ofertas de Black Friday con antelación. Si comparas esa lista con el historial de precios, ves rápido cuáles descuentos son reales y cuáles son solo un precio "antes" inflado.