With American Thanksgiving right around the corner, many of us are already starting to feel the holiday shopping bug. Are you excited or are you dreading it? Or maybe you haven’t even begun to think about it? Well don’t worry, because your favorite online payment processor Payza has all the inside details you need to avoid the panic of last-minute holiday shopping!
If you love a good deal then it’s time to buckle down and get ready for the busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday. This day of post-Thanksgiving sales can be one of the most noisy and claustrophobic shopping experiences you could put yourself through! But luckily you don’t have to- if you plan it right, you can take advantage of holiday deals without the stress.
Don’t Fight the Crowd
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the savings! You’ll be surprised how much you can save by shopping strategically in the weeks leading up to the holidays. Schedule your shopping around this handy holiday calendar from Savings.com, which shows the best times to get deals for each product category.
- Electronics: It’s best to get your electronics early, with most sales usually between November 4th and 16th. Looking to be the highlight of some special person’s holiday season? You better hurry to get the best deal on a new laptop, tablet or smartphone!
What you’re looking for: 25% to 30% off is the best savings range you can expect on electronics.
- Home Decor: Furniture and home decor is another category that rewards early shoppers. The last week of November is the best time to buy that new bookshelf or painting.
Look for: 35% off
- Toys, Games and Sporting Equipment: Popular toys don’t last long, so it might be safest to catch the early sales in the first week of December. If you’re more of a risk-taker, December 20th is the day of the big sales. If you’re lucky you might get deals three times as good as usual.
Look for: 30% off
- Apparel & Accessories: It may not be the least hectic time to shop, but experts say to wait until at least December 15th to buy clothing and fashion accessories. The 10 days leading up to Christmas are the peak period for clothing sales.
Look for: 35% to 40% off
- Food, Flowers and Gift Baskets: It’s a good thing most of the deals on these items are between December 22nd and 24th, because buying them too early means wilted flowers and spoiled food. Gift baskets are a great choice for you last-minute shoppers. For even more savings, don’t forget to check out the deals on gift baskets after Christmas when stores are liquidating these items to make room for more stock, it makes a great gift to yourself.
Look for: 20% off or more after Christmas.
- Books, Music and DVDs: You’re better off buying these items as a gift for yourself, because you’re not likely to find a sale until Boxing Day. Did you get some gifts over the holidays that just aren’t for you? Return them between December 26th and 30th and use the cash to pick up some new books or films at half price.
Look for: 50% off
You can also save a lot of time and money on your holiday shopping this year by taking advantage of Cyber Monday, e-commerce’s answer to Black Friday. Cyber Monday falls on the Monday after Black Friday (December 2nd this year) and is the busiest online shopping day of the year, but since there are no physical stores, there are no crowds! It’s also one of the best days to get deals on just about any gift you can think of!
The holidays are stressful enough. Use Payza to shop online and save yourself all the hassle and anxiety of the crowds and the traffic that go hand-in-hand with holiday shopping. For some advice about how to save your money and your sanity over the holidays, see:
