KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Retailers have offered Black Friday deals all month—call it Black November, said UT Professor of Retail Dr. Michelle Childs.
Childs said inflation limits the amount of money people want to spend, so stores are trying to capture that money earlier in the season.
"People are still looking for deals," Childs said. "Even though inflation, cost of living is going up, people are looking for the deepest discounts."
Childs said you'll see the deepest discounts in the period between Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
There are two categories where you should expect to find those discounts, Childs said. The first is gifts, for yourself and for others.
"Things like electronics, typical gift toys, small appliances," Childs said. "When you think about gifting for others, those are going to be more of the deeper discounts."
The other category, Childs said is work-from-home supplies.
"Anything to do with that home office," Childs said. "Headsets, small electronics, computers, laptops—things like that."
Childs said large appliances, like dishwashers, washers, dryers, furniture and mattresses will not see the largest discounts during Black Friday.
"Those discounts are typically best if you can wait to things like Memorial Day, Labor Day, Presidents Day," Childs said.
This year, Childs said stores are offering doorbusters to encourage people to go in to shop, but they're meeting customers where they are.
"Their mobile device, online, in-store, they have deals across all different modalities," Childs said.
If you're planning to shop on Black Friday, Childs said you should make a list and stick to it. She also said some stores offer post-purchase price matching, so if you buy something and find a better price later on—they may be able to match it.