It’s “Black Friday” – traditionally one of, if not the biggest shopping day of the year, as consumers attempt to take advantage of major savings on all types of merchandise in time for holiday gift-giving – OR – just as a treat for themselves and their families.

Bear in mind tho’, 2021 presents some unique challenges – with significant shortages in some product categories including laptop computers, gaming consoles and more.

The holiday shopping season has also been somewhat confusing this year as retailers have already started offering EARLY “Black Friday” prices on select items, even prior to Thanksgiving.

Even though many consumers are choosing to do their shopping on-line as the COVID pandemic continues, experts say stores will be considerably more crowded than they were this time last year.

Some Shopping Tips by Consumer Reports include:

Getting out and about EARLY, because the hot products may sell out quickly OR fail to arrive at your doorstep on time, and that includes toys as makers have stated back in the summer months that supply could be a problem come Christmas.

If shopping on-line keep in mind that many retailers will offer many of the very same promotions as they do in-store – and FREE delivery offers will often be an added lure.

Take advantage of “Store Loyalty Programs” which often grant members early access to special pricing events.

Also (brace yourselves for this one) Create a BUDGET and STICK TO IT.  Decide ahead of time how much you want to devote to your holiday shopping.