If inflation is squeezing your holiday shopping budget this year, Black Friday sale ads are out to help save shoppers a few bucks. Southeast Missouri State University Economics Professor David Yaskewich explained what shoppers can expect.

“I think we’ll see some similarities with last year, where we saw a longer shopping season. It’s kind of not your traditional Black Friday anymore, where it’s the day after Thanksgiving. From the economic perspective, in the last few years, we’ve seen inflation higher than normal. I think it’s retailers adapting,” he said.

He said home décor and cookware discounts could exceed 30%. Technology and toys could be marked down about 20 to 30%. Clothing and furniture prices could drop about 15 to 20%. But there is always hope for procrastinators.

“Traditionally, it’s not uncommon to see retailers after the Thanksgiving weekend to increase prices a little bit, and then as we get closer to Christmas, like the week of, you might see discounts come about again,” Yaskewich said.

If you need to use a “Buy Now, Pay Later” option, such as Affirm, Klarna, or Afterpay, he advises you to treat these choices like a credit card.

“If the debt is manageable and you have a plan for paying it off, fantastic. That exists when consumers handle that responsibly,” he said. “But there are some who might bite off more they can chew and get in over their head.”

If shoppers want the highest likelihood of getting the lowest price, he suggests shopping around Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

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