Black Friday is almost here but are you ready for it? Experts are warning to not head out and fill up your cart with so-called deals before doing your homework.

“We’ve tracked sale prices for weeks at a time and often find that those prices aren’t really great prices, that they’re the same price all the time,” said Jamie Lettis, associate editor at Consumers’ Checkbook.

Lettis said many retailers lure you in with one or two big deals, but they know once you’re inside or shopping on their sites, you will most likely keep on shopping for other items which claim to be a deal — but are not.

The first thing to do when checking prices, Lettis said, is to search online how an item’s price compares to other stores and even at the store’s website.

“Oftentimes, you’ll find that the website has lower prices or different prices than the actual store, and most stores will price-match it and honor their own web pricing,” Lettis said.

Sometimes, retailers will also match or beat the prices of competitors as well.

Lettis said there are websites that can help you track an item’s price over time. Among them are Honey x PayPal, PriceGrabber.com, ShopSavvy.com and Yahoo! Shopping. For Amazon purchases, CamelCamelCamel.com is a great price comparison option.

Also, older adults, military members and veterans, as well as teachers, students and first responders can also receive discounts at checkout both in stores and online.

She also said social media can steer you to actual deals and catalogs mailed to your home also can provide promo codes that can save you money.

“I saw one for LL Bean the other day, 15% off, which is a really good discount from that retailer,” Lettis said. “So keep an eye on that — always search for promo codes.”

Lettis said cash-back portals such as Rakuten, BeFrugal, MrRebates and CouponCabin.com can also provide discounts.

As you come up with a shopping game plan, Lettis also recommends having a method to your shopping madness before heading to the stores. Most importantly, this includes setting a budget that you can actually afford, so you’re not hit with credit card interest charges.

“If you’re getting 20% off your purchases all day at a department store, and then you end up paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars in interest in the months to come, it’s not worth doing,” she said.

Also, while retailer credit cards can save you on your total, not being able to pay them off can also cost you much more than the discount you initially received.

“Most retailer credit cards these days are charging an annual percentage rate of 30% on a balance,” she said. “So if you think that there’s even a chance you’re not going to be able to pay that bill in full every single month, don’t open that card.”

Lettis does, however, recommend paying with a credit card because it is easier to dispute a charge if it is inaccurate or if the seller is not willing to help with a defective product.

Finally, with more and more people returning items, some retailers are taking steps to discourage returns, which includes charging you or the gift’s recipient to pay to send an item back.

“For example, you buy an outfit, it doesn’t fit, you may be looking at $6 or $7 deducted from your return price to ship that back,” Lettis said.

She recommends looking closely at a retailer’s return policy before buying your holiday gifts from them.

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