Once you finish your Thanksgiving dinner and after digging into desert, it’s time to shift gears into shopping mode.
Black Friday is hours away, and unlike years past we’ve been seeing door buster deals for weeks.
“I hope you’ve already started your holiday shopping because this year you have to be careful about shopping as early as you possibly can," said CNBC senior retail reporter Courtney Reagan. "You want to be more concerned about being able to get the right gift when it’s available and potentially less about the price.”
The change comes from three words we keep hearing over and over again: supply chain issues. Getting products to the stores has been a challenge, so finding those key items on your shopping list could be tough.
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“Now, this doesn’t mean that if you walk into a store the shelves are going to be empty, but if you’re looking to buy a TV or laptop you might not find the exact model you want and the selection will be pretty limited," said Consumer Reports shopping editor Anna Kocharian.
There are plenty of deals out there - especially if you plan to go big. Televisions ranging from 65 inches and larger have plenty of steep discounts while locations like Home Goods plan on offering deals on Black Friday.
"This is definitely one of the years where inflation is hitting at an all-time high," said Kocharian. "So that is going to trickle down to our day-to-day items various goods like electronics and toys so unfortunately that’s just what we’re facing this year.”
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If Black Friday was your targeted date to start shopping, you've got some catching up to do. With higher prices and fewer items on store shelves, your holiday wish list may need to be more flexible in 2021.
"I am really urge folks to buy items they really want when they’re available," Reagan said. "Have a back up list and if all else fails you can get a gift card."
More stores will be closed on Thanksgiving Day in 2021, which means you can expect longer lines outside stores than in years past.
