Black Friday is nearly a month away! And as Americans begin checking off their lists, many are looking forward to those doorbuster deals and major savings.
But according to a recent survey conducted by TopCashback.com, a popular cash back site, over half of Americans (53%) say shopping for gifts is the most stressful part of the holiday season.
The survey polled a cross-section of 1,756 US-based adults, aged 18 and over.
As for why holiday gift shopping is stressful, the top three responses are:
Finding the perfect gifts people will actually like (73%)
Looking for the best deals/sales (55%)
Spending too much money or going into debt (39%)
While it may be hard to find the “perfect gift,” finding a fantastic deal can help relieve your stress. Here are three tips to save on your holiday shopping from TopCashback’s Team of Money-Saving Experts:
Look for price matching. Some retailers offer price matching, so buying early may save you both time and money. However, don’t assume you’ll have an endless time period to score a price match. Read the terms on the retailer’s website to know how it works so you’ll know what to expect. Some popular retailers that offer price matching include Walmart and Target.
Know the sales. When you’re shopping at your go-to retailers, you typically know which promotions are better than others. If you’re shopping at a new store, look to see when they had sales last year to get an idea of what to expect in the coming weeks. However, if you’re shopping at a store that typically doesn’t have sales and you see a one-time-only sale, buy it now. If a store is always running sales and promotions, buy when the discount is a seemingly good deal. Check your favorite retailer’s website or social media pages to be in the know about sales.
Layer additional savings. While holiday sales typically offer higher discounts, you might be able to save even more. Comparison shop to find the lowest price for the item and layer on applicable coupons and credit card rewards. And if you’re shopping online, consider using a cash back site, like TopCashback, which guarantees the highest percentage of your money back on all qualifying purchases from retailers like Amazon, Macy’s, Sephora, Adidas and more.
Pro-tip: Download TopCashback’s free Browser Extension, which automatically notifies you when you’re shopping on a site that offers cash back and/or coupons. The extension can apply these savings with the click of a button, so you can be confident you’re not missing out on any additional savings. This money-saving tool is available on both Chrome and Safari.
