I’m a little in shock that it’s already time to do my holiday shopping. How did that happen so fast?! Luckily, the blog keeps me on my toes when it comes to shopping lol! It’s still a little too early to know all of the Black Friday 2018 deals, but usually they are pretty similar to what was offered the year before. I wanted to share all the details with you today though on what you should do to prepare before the biggest sale of the year!
What to Know about Black Friday 2018 Sales
I have done a lot of Black Friday shopping over the years (mostly online) so I have my shopping strategy down to a science. I wanted to break down my best tips for shopping Black Friday 2018 sales so you can make your day as seamless as possible and get back to those Thanksgiving leftovers sooner.
Look Back
Certain brands will release their planned Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals pretty far in advance, but others are hush-hush until the day of. Generally though, you can expect the deals to be pretty similar to the year before. I always like to reference the best deals from last year when forming my shopping plans. You can see my list of the best deals at all my favorite stores for Black Friday 2017 here.
Make A List
Make that list and check it twice! Black Friday sales can be so overwhelming that I don’t love wandering around a store or shopping online aimlessly hoping to find a good deal. Before the sales start, I like to think about what gifts I need for the upcoming holiday season and see where I could potentially find the best deals. Sometimes these gifts are for myself! For example, I really want a pair of Hunter Rain boots, but they are a little too expensive to justify buying them considering it doesn’t rain all that often in SoCal. This year I’ll be combing the Black Friday sales for deals on a pair of these boots.
I consistently hear great things about these faux-leather leggings. I almost bought a pair during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale and am kicking myself that I didn’t! They’re expected to go on sale at Black Friday too, so I’ll have to grab a pair or two. This leather bag also went on sale last year and it comes in so many great neutral colors. I’m missing a good, sturdy work tote and now would be the best time to get one at a discount!
Last year my big Black Friday purchase was this mirror from Anthropologie. I’d been wanting one for years to put over our fireplace (you can see how it looks in my home here!) but was waiting for a major discount. Because it was something I had wanted for a while and was not a rush decision, I was able to comfortably use Anthropologie’s Black Friday discount to finally purchase it. Anthropologie offered 30% off their entire store, so it was a great way to save on an item I was planning on purchasing anyway. I always take advantage of Anthropologie’s Black Friday sale (it lasts all weekend I believe) as they have so many great gift items, clothes, home decor, and even beauty products that I would normally purchase full-price.
This year the home item I have my eye on woven baskets from World Market. They are just so handy for storing laundry, blankets, or even Augustine’s toys in. If I can’t find them on sale at World Market, I’ll poke around at Pier 1 and Target who will also probably have some good deals.
And of course tech items are always on sale for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I’ve been really wanting a new lens for my camera (the Canon 85mm) and we’ve been considering purchasing a TV (maybe this one?!) as we don’t have one. This one is a little pricy but it’s gorgeous and I think it would be so worth it!
You know what else is super expensive?? Baby gear! Matthew and I are working together to make a wishlist of some of the baby items we want and will hopefully find some on sale. This gorgeous stroller was on sale last year, so I hope we can grab one at a discount!
Stock Up
Even though it can sting to make a bunch of purchases at once, I always try to stock up on as much as possible during Black Friday sales. Whether it be my favorite bra, my go-to beauty products like this eyebrow pencil from Burt’s Bees (in the past they’ve offered 40% off their entire site!), or even special cooking items like these flavored syrups from World Market, it just makes sense to stock up and save during the sales.
Utilize Technology
I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but for the last month or so I have been using a program called ShopStyle to share my favorite styles. The main reason I switched to this program is because it has a super helpful feature where you can click the heart icon under a product and if you’ve made a ShopStyle account, you’ll receive an alert if that item goes on sale. I try to make things super easy and helpful for you, and while I would love to notify you about every sale, sometimes it’s impossible to do so. I love that they are so user friendly, and always trying to think about what the customer would want. Throughout the next few weeks if you see anything you love in one of my blog posts, just click the heart and sign up for an alert! I’ll include an example of what this looks like below with some of the items I discussed in this post! I’ll be creating gift guides soon (you can see past ones here) so that would be a great time to utilize that feature!
SHOP MY BLACK FRIDAY 2018 SALES WISHLIST
UPCOMING BLACK FRIDAY 2018 SALES
I did some digging and have found some of the upcoming deals you can expect (bookmark this page because I’ll be updating it with the best sales! Also, on Black Friday I will have an awesome giveaway so make sure to come here day of to check it out!!
Nordstrom – Up to 60% through Cyber Monday. Valid 11/21-11/26.
Neiman Marcus – $50 off $200 MDC (w/ reg-price purchase). Valid 11/22-11/24
Macy’s – 20% Off Black Friday Sale with code BLKFRI & Free Shipping at $49. Valid 11/21-11/24.
Saks Off Fifth – 50% off Black Friday Sale. Valid 11/20-11/21.
Urban Outfitters – BOGO sitewide. Valid 11/21-11/23.
Do you know what you’ll be buying during the Black Friday 2018 Sales? What about the Cyber Monday 2018 sales? What are the deals you look for every year? I don’t want to miss out on any great opportunities!
xox
photos by Vanessa Lentine
