Holiday shopping can be time consuming and costly, especially when you’re bombarded with an overwhelming amount of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
“My email is overloaded with details from…oh, we’re going to have this sale, this sale…from this time to this time. It’s just too much to try and comprehend,” said Shannon Zwick.
Other shoppers who spoke with NBC Connecticut were not very interested in braving Black Friday in stores.
“I usually shop online,” said Jennifer Wieloch.
“I’m not usually buying gifts that are being promoted on Black Friday, like TVs,” said Heidi Kirchofer.
“Black Friday is not just a day anymore. It’s a whole month,” said Kelsey Sheehy, personal finance director at NerdWallet.
Sheehy said retailers are stopping at nothing to get you in stores on Black Friday and buying online during Cyber Monday. But consumers have to do their homework.
Local
“Shoppers really need to be aware of some of the tricks retailers will use with their Black Friday advertisements. They’re notorious for inflating discounts and running the same deals,” said Sheehy.
Local retailers like Moreneault Stackpole Moore Tryon in downtown Hartford don’t believe the Black Friday hype.
“People are really shopping early. We have sold a tremendous amount of Christmas presents already,” said owner Jody Morneault.
Morneault said besides store promotions, they try other incentives to get shoppers in the door and buying.
“Food, cookies, pies, hot chocolate, hot cider, coffee, teas, wine,” said Morneault. “We definitely have to be wheeling and dealing and have promotions like everybody else.”
Retail experts say all those discounts can add up to real savings over the holiday shopping season. They say the best day to shop in stores is Wednesday when the sales start leading up to the weekend. Browser extensions can help you find the lowest prices by scouring the internet for coupon codes and deals.
