Why wait until November to start your holiday shopping when there are a number of benefits to getting it done in October? Just ask the 48 percent of shoppers polled by Bankrate who plan to begin making their holiday purchases by Halloween this year. That’s well before Black Friday, the traditional kickoff to the holiday shopping season, and it’s becoming more and more common — and retailers are responding in kind.
“The truth is that the so-called Black Friday creep began long ago, but the pandemic really accelerated it,” says Julie Ramhold, senior editor at DealNews. “We had already seen Black Friday sales ahead of the holiday itself, and starting in 2020, retailers seemed to be leaning into offering up deals even earlier. And that’s essentially continued, so that if you’re ready to start your shopping in October, it’s entirely possible.”
From limited-time deals to avoiding crowds, here are seven reasons why you’ll benefit from getting a jump on your holiday shopping.
1. Black Friday in October
Since the pandemic, Amazon has been hosting Prime Day in October, enabling shoppers to take advantage of discounts way ahead of Black Friday. During the event, dubbed Prime Big Deals Day, Amazon Prime members can save on a range of products, from personal gadgets and cosmetics to apparel and small kitchen appliances. The popular sale, which kicks off at 3 a.m. ET on Oct. 8, isn’t the only action in October. Target, Walmart and Best Buy are getting in on it too, which means even more ways to save.
Target is rolling out its Circle Week sale on Oct. 6, lasting through Oct. 12; Walmart’s Holiday Deals event will run Oct. 8–13; and Best Buy is offering a 48-hour flash sale Oct. 8–9. Best Buy is also running its Prep for the Holidays Event on Oct. 21, with exclusive deals on electronics, appliances and more.
“Outside of these sales events, October is also a good time to shop for select products that typically go on sale during this month, which includes fall clothing and denim, smart thermostats, dress-up costumes just before Halloween and outdoor entertaining essentials like grills — all of which could make great holiday gifts at a discount,” says shopping expert Andrea Woroch.
2. Spread out the spending
Inflation may be coming down, but many shoppers are still worried about affording holiday gifts, according to Bankrate’s survey. Of holiday shoppers, 28 percent said they are stressed over the costs, and the same number said holiday shopping will strain their budgets. Moreover, 27 percent expect to rack up debt to cover their holiday shopping costs. That doesn’t take into account spending on holiday festivities beyond gifts, like parties, charitable donations and holiday outings.