This year retailers nationwide rolled out Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals earlier than ever. It’s no wonder! Last year, Americans spent more than 9 Billion dollars during the holiday shopping surge—and this year is expected to break even more records.
But, getting up before sunrise to fight the crowds the day after Thanksgiving is so 2019. These days even Black Friday is a remote event. (Are Black Friday and Cyber Monday merging into one amorphous shopping day that lasts the whole month of November? Maybe.)
It’s hard to resist some of the bargains out there. Who hasn’t fallen victim to a great deal on a not-so-great product? But, we’ve got you covered. Here are some of the gadgets we think are worth buying as well as tips and tricks to get the most out of this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals.
A LOW-COST LAPTOP THAT’S PACKED WITH POWER:
During this year’s sales, we are advising against the $90 barebones Chromebooks and laptops that drop below $300. These don’t have enough storage or memory to survive long-term, let alone through the holiday season.
We are keeping an eye on the ASUS Zenbook 14’ OLED (3402). This particular model has brains, beauty, and 22 hours of battery life—making it one of the top five OLED laptops of the year. Super slim and light — combines portability, performance, and a spunky processor, and caters to super productive, on-the-go multitaskers. It already comes at the super reasonable price point of $870.
Price: $870
Tips And Tricks For Black Friday Laptop Deals:
The newest and best laptops typically get $100-$300 discounts. Some also come with a cashback offer or some other decent bonus that can add a lot of value. Some of the $1,000+ models get steeper discounts. Pay attention to the fine print when purchasing these. Don’t skimp on memory or other important specs. Keep in mind that the deepest discounts are often for last year’s model — which is totally fine.
But, before wading into the big sales, make sure to know exactly what you want. That way, you protect yourself from getting sucked into the mania of the day-of deals!
AN iPHONE BARGAIN WORTH LOOKING INTO:
Straight Talk has a brand new iPhone SE for $100 off at Walmart stores. That’s a steep discount on a phone that normally sells for $150! The special runs from 11/6 through November 26th. To take advantage of the deal, the Straight Talk plan must be activated in-store. Also, keep in mind that the plan allows a maximum of two devices per person.
Sale price: $50 ($100 off retail price)
A LOW-COST, PRACTICE SMARTPHONE FOR YOUR KIDS:
For kids, we are big fans of the Bark Phone. If your child is begging you for a smartphone, don’t hand them a new, expensive device and hope for the best. At Techish, we are huge proponents of what we call “training wheel technology.” This means we believe in starting kids with the basics of tech and gradually working up to the more complicated and potentially troublesome devices. The Bark Phone is a great example of training wheel technology. It’s a fully customizable smartphone that monitors texts, apps, social media, and web searches, has REAL-TIME GPS location tracking, removes app downloads, allows you to set screen time limits, manage calls, and offers parents the option to remotely lock it. Parents also receive alerts for dangers or concerning behaviors on a separate dashboard. Kids love it because it doesn’t LOOK like a kid’s phone. It’s also tamper-proof. This means kids can’t delete text messages without permission, download workaround VPNs, or change the parental controls you set.
Price: Plans start at $30/month
Tips and Tricks for Black Friday Smartphone Purchases:
If you are looking for the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on smartphones, keep an eye out for Android smartphones and iPhones bundled with gift cards worth hundreds. You can use those cards later to boost the overall value.
Phone freebie promotions seem too good to be true…and generally, they are. Often with these deals, you end up spending more in the long run due to the exorbitant service plans bundled with superfluous features, like big high-speed data packages and subscriptions to streaming services. You typically spend anywhere from about $160-$300 more on those “deals.”
A ROBOT DOG THAT TEACHES KIDS TO CODE:
Historically, the best toy sales happen in December, but you risk the hottest toys and gaming consoles selling out. This year, we are already seeing Black Friday toy deals with savings of up to 85% off at major stores like Walmart and Target.
PYXEL — A Coder’s Best Friend by Educational Insights is a robot dog for kids ages 8 and older. This spunky little dude is normally $125 but from today through Cyber Monday, it’s $88. That’s 30% off! We picked this one because it’s a coding companion that turns passive screen time into endless hands-on playtime. Kids have so much fun that they don’t realize how many skills they’re picking up! Pyxel fosters independence, creativity and CODING practice. Kids can program all kinds of different tricks, sounds and emotions using Blockly and Python (the same coding language that Space X uses!).
Sale Price: $88 ($37 off normal retail price)
Tips and Tricks for Black Friday Toy Deals:
Check to see if stores like Target or Best Buy offer any kind of price match or guarantee for Black Friday. Most do! Also, If you shop in-store, make sure to use the QR code to check if an item is less expensive from the same store online. Often, they are and retailers will match in-store!
Make sure to note if there’s a price guarantee in place on an item you purchase. That way, if you buy something early on and it later drops in price, you’ll be able to receive a price adjustment for the difference.
Don’t forget cash-back! A service like PayPal’s Honey browser extension stacks deals to maximize savings. For extra savings, plan to apply promo codes or digital coupons and use a rewards credit card to earn extra points or cash back.
A CAR CAMERA TO HELP PREVENT THE DREADED BIP:
If you live in the Bay Area, you’ve likely been ‘Bipped.’ Smash and grabs are such a concern right now that KQED recently published a piece on how to keep your car from getting broken into. But, there are a slew of new tech tools to help protect your stuff, too. We just reviewed the Canopy Pickup Cam. It’s kind of like a ring doorbell for your vehicle. It uses AI-powered notifications to let you know the second something’s amiss and records video. On top of working as a deterrent, if the Pickup Cam catches someone breaking into your vehicle, having that footage helps a ton with authorities and insurance companies. You also get the security experts of ADT for just under $15/month. If you use a truck for your livelihood or work as a delivery driver or in construction, the Canopy Pickup Cam is a huge first step in thwarting break-ins.
Sale Price: $180 ($120 off normal retail price)
As Black Friday and Cyber Monday continue to blur into a month-long shopping extravaganza, keep checking back here to see what’s new, plus find out all the tips, tricks, and insider hacks to get everything you want and need at a price you can afford!
More soon!
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Read Jennifer’s latest columns at USAToday.com/tech or follow her @JennJolly on Instagram.