Expect familiar deals but tighter inventory; buy at 25–30% off and use price adjustments; verify model numbers to avoid stripped-down doorbusters
Prep now: make a gift list with budgets, track prices (CamelCamelCamel/Honey), set Karma alerts, and start early to spread costs and beat sellouts
Stack savings: join store loyalty + PayPal cashback; use Fetch/Fetch Amex to turn receipts into gift cards; buy now (tech/small appliances) vs. wait (toys/apparel/decor; bedding in January; TVs late January)
Black Friday 2025 won’t be a total curveball, but the smartest shoppers will definitely prep early. To that end, I had the chance to interview smart shopping expert, Andrea Woroch, about ways to prep now so you maximize your savings come Black Friday weekend. Here’s your game plan to shop like a pro, before the doorbusters even drop.
Will Black Friday 2025 be different than years past?
Woroch explained that “Black Friday should look pretty similar to what we have seen in recent years in terms of savings on popular small kitchen gadgets, big screen TVs, video gaming consoles and personal tech, including headphones, tablets and smart home devices.”
She also told me that retailers secured much of their holiday inventory before tariffs kicked in, which will help hold prices down. The trade-off? Fewer units of the best stuff, so selection may feel tighter. Translation: plan ahead, track prices now, and be ready to buy when your target number hits.
Start with a tight list (and a ceiling price for each item)
A written list is the fastest way to avoid overspending. Woroch recommends a dedicated gift-list app like Santa’s Bag so you can set a budget per person, jot gift ideas, and log what you actually paid.
This prevents duplicate gifts when you start shopping early, and it keeps you from turning “just browsing” into clear overspending.
Pro tip: Add a target price beside each item. Woroch’s rule of thumb is if you see a must-have item at 25%–30% off or better, buy it. You’re unlikely to do much better, and price adjustments can cover you if it drops later. Check the retailer’s policy so you can request an adjustment without returning.
Do some price recon NOW before the ads hit
“Start researching prices so you know what gifts cost now before sales drop”, Woroch says. “This will help you determine when a deal is worthwhile rather than wondering if you're getting a good price.”
She recommends these tools that surface real price history, not just “was/now” marketing:
- CamelCamelCamel (or the Camelizer browser add-on) for Amazon price history.
- Honey browser extension for price history and coupon tests.
- Karma to set price drop alerts and get notified when a price drops.
If the price isn’t at or near your target, set the alert and walk away. Let the tools do the work, and you’ll get a ping when it’s time to buy.
Shop earlier than you think
Black Friday now comes at you in waves, and smart shoppers start well before Thanksgiving. We are already seeing daily price drops, early holiday sales, and limited-time promos. It’s time to start paying attention to these early deals if you’re not already.
Woroch highly recommends starting your shopping early as it allows you to “manage your cash flow as you can spread out purchases over a few paychecks over several weeks rather than trying to buy everything at once.”
Why this matters in 2025: Even if prices are solid, selection could be thinner on high-demand items like popular toys, specific TV models, and hot headphones. Early birds will have way more options this year.
Stack rewards and cashback that you can spend in December
“Rack up rewards for your holiday purchases,” says Woroch, as they can easily fund your “last-minute holiday purchases.”
To that end, she recommends checking out the cash-back perks via the PayPal app. They offer a bunch of rotating retail cashback offers most shoppers miss.
Then join the loyalty programs for the stores you know you’ll shop at and score some cool perks. Perks include early access to deals, first-purchase coupons up to 25% off, along with the occasional free shipping/free returns perk.
Woroch summed it perfectly, “All the cash back you earn can then go towards picking up a few last minute gifts on your list for less (or maybe even for free!).”
Turn everyday spending into gift cards—now
Woroch also emphasized that a lot of smart shoppers have figured out how to “turn daily purchases like groceries and gas into free rewards to boost your Black Friday budget.”
She called out two smart ways to make it happen:
- Fetch app: Earn points by snapping pictures of receipts from any store. Turn those points into free gift cards for Amazon, Target, Walmart and dozens more.
- Consider the Fetch American Express card to accelerate points (10 points for every $1 spent on groceries/retail and 5 points for every $1 spent elsewhere).
Woroch emphasized that you can easily “end up with plenty of points towards free gift cards to supplement your holiday shopping.”
Your buy-now vs. wait-later playbook
Here’s Woroch’s quick guide on what to buy and what to skip this Black Friday.
Buy on/around Black Friday:
- Small kitchen appliances, personal tech, smart-home devices.
- Gaming consoles and bundles (but only if you need all items in the bundle).
- Select toys, beauty, and fashion (watch for retailer-wide events, even at brands that rarely discount—“If a site-wide drops at Lululemon appears, that’s notable,” says Woroch).
The stuff that’s often a better deal later:
- Toys, winter apparel, holiday decor: markdowns deepen closer to Christmas.
- Holiday decor, coats, boots: best to buy during post-Christmas clearance sales.
- Bedding & linens: shop January white sales instead.
- Big-screen TVs: late January (Super Bowl run-up) can rival or beat November, if you can wait and your model isn’t time-sensitive.
Pro tip: Some doorbuster models are built specifically for the event and may skip features to hit a low price, Woroch warns. She recommends making sure you match model numbers, read specs and reviews, and never assume it’s the same unit that’s sold year-round.
Add non-gift deals to your radar
Black Friday isn’t just about cheap TV’s and coffee makers. Woroch gave the great tip of also looking for savings from local businesses and service providers.
In particular, she said to look for Black Friday deals on things like “fitness class packs, dental services, spa services and more.”
She even scored a Hulu subscription for $1 per month on Black Friday. It’s time to think outside the box and save this year.