5 ways to avoid buying into FOMO on Black Friday

CENTRAL COAST, Calif. (KION) Thanksgiving came and went, this means the holiday shopping season is in full swing. Finding the best deals can depend on when you shop.

Eric Matisoff from Adobe Analytics said that with a little strategy, online shoppers can find some good deals.

According to Matisoff, toys on Thanksgiving Day will have the best discounts. Black Friday is good for home goods like furniture and tools. On Saturday, cyber shoppers will see more deals for electronics and appliances. Sunday is the best day for apparel and sporting goods, and Cyber Monday for televisions.

"If you're looking to make that upgrade to a new TV, then Cyber Monday is gonna be your day for that. But if you're waiting for Cyber Monday, you may not get the exact brand and model that you're looking for," Matisoff said.

That's because supply chain issues are creating shortages. According to Adobe, out-of-stock messages in November are up 250% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

"Retailers are gonna have a lot of trouble restocking things this year," Kristen McGrath from RetailMeNot said.

McGrath said shoppers online and in store face a dilemma: buy now or wait for a better deal.

"If you're flexible and you're just looking for stocking stuffers, board games, holiday gifts and home goods in general, you'll probably find some sales on those in stores heading all the way through December," she said.

Here are 5 ways to avoid buying into the fear of missing out on Black Friday deals from TopCashback.com:

Set a budget and stick with it

You’ll probably face heavy pressure from retailers to take advantage of Black Friday deals, but you get to choose what to buy and when.

Laura McMullen from NerdWallet tip: shop with intention, rather than in response to sales. She also recommend you set a budget and stick to it the list.

"Try setting rules for yourself to limit impulse shopping, too, such as waiting an hour between seeing something you want and buying it," McMullen said. "Or make this the year you and your family change the way you handle gifts. Set price caps, exchange names or give only homemade or experiential gifts."

Read more: How hoarding saved Black Friday

Price match

Some retailers offer price matching so buying early may save you both time and money. However, don’t assume you’ll have an endless time period to score a price match. Read the retailer’s terms on their website to know how it works so you’ll know what to expect.

Know the sales

 When you’re shopping at your go-to retailers, you typically know which promotions are better than others. If you’re shopping at a new store, look to see when they had sales last year to get an idea of what to expect in the coming weeks. However, if you’re shopping at a store that typically doesn’t have sales and you see a one-time-only sale, buy it now. If a store is always running sales and promotions, buy when the discount is a seemingly good deal.

Find additional savings 

While we know that holiday sales can yield some higher discounts, don’t assume that there aren’t any other saving opportunities for that item you’ve had your eye on. Find the lowest price for the item and layer on applicable coupons and credit card rewards. Plus, you can shop through a cash back site, like TopCashback.com, to earn a percentage of your money back on all qualifying purchases from retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Sephora and more.

Size matters 

If you’re giving the gift of clothing or shoes this holiday season, make sure the size you need is in stock. Have you noticed only a few sizes are left? This could be a sign that the item is popular and may sell out soon so you’ll want to purchase the product earlier rather than later.