Holiday shopping trends, deals to maximize your savings

The holiday shopping season is upon us. Black Friday is only weeks away. We have retail expectations for the season and how consumers can maximize their dollars.

Thanksgiving is later this year, which means those big Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are closer to Christmas. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find a bargain earlier in the month.

And there’s a lot of interesting, brand-new data about spending trends and the kinds of gifts people will be buying this holiday season.

“We are really interested in how people spend so that we can figure out the best ways for them to save,” said Bella Gerard of Rakuten.

So cash back platform, Rakuten, just completed a holiday spending survey of consumers and found an especially fascinating factoid about so-called “obligation gifting.”

“You know that gift you feel like you have to get someone, whether it’s that they’ve gifted you in the past or you’ve been doing it for years and you feel like it’s kind of expected. People don’t really care anymore,” said Gerard.

Rakuten found only 20 percent of overall shoppers say they’ll be buying obligation gifts.

“Gen Zers in particular are leading this charge. We found that 49 percent of Gen Z shoppers are prioritizing gifts for themselves over gifts for others,” Gerard said.

And 54 percent of all shoppers admit they’ll spend less on others, even their friends and family members, to spend more on themselves.

Whether you’re shopping for yourself or others, Consumer Reports says there is no better time of the year for bargain shoppers than the entire month of November.

“You don’t have to wait until Black Friday to get a really good deal. Throughout November, we see lots of really great prices. They do tend to come and go. So keep an eye out on whenever you’re looking to buy and you can snag some big savings before the end of the month,” said Samantha Gordon of Consumer Reports.

Don’t forget to use browser extensions that will automatically scan and apply coupon codes for you. And if you download a platform like Rakutan, you can stack money back on top of those deals.

“Once you have the browser extension downloaded, you can go to Bloomingdale’s, ShopBop, Sephora, thousands of retailers. And when you’re about to check out, you’ll get this little pop-up that says you can save cash back and then you’ll end up getting a check in the mail later and get that money right back in your pocket,” said Gerard.

One more interesting trend that came out of that survey, 58 percent of shoppers say they’re willing to pay more if they’re getting a good deal — meaning they prioritize stretching their dollar and getting maximum bang for their buck over saving money and putting it in their pocket.

Now to some deals.

If you’re shopping for your favorite foodie, you can’t go wrong with a versatile Dutch oven. The 5.5-quart Le Creuset is on sale for $340 at Amazon. It’s been a top performer in CR’s ratings for years, heats up fast, and is a cinch to clean.

A great pick for those who love sleek-looking kitchen appliances, the Cosori Dual Blaze Air Fryer is now $160 at Amazon. It has a large capacity and it’s easy to clean.

Give the gift that keeps on giving with a cool gadget that’ll do some dirty work around the house. The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra robotic vacuum is $1,099 at Amazon. It earned an excellent score in CR’s carpet test and doubles as a robotic wet mop.

For the true tech lover on your list, the Samsung Galaxy Watch6 LTE is $199 at Amazon. Although it’s not the latest model, it holds its own against newer competitors with a range of workout, sleep, and heart rate tracking sensors.

Finally, November wouldn’t be November without deals on TVs. The LG OLED is $1,424 at Walmart and around $1,500 at Amazon, Crutchfield, and Best Buy. The 65-inch set delivers excellent picture quality, high dynamic range performance, and sound.

Consumer Reports says you can also watch for deals on headphones, stand mixers, smartphones, and even large appliances this month.