I use to be all about Black Friday. I would spend the majority of Thursday afternoon sifting through the store pamphlets, surfing online, and calling friends to see if they heard of any juicy details on any brands with awesome Black Friday deals.

But then I worked in retail. And I discovered that most stores have awesome deals like this all year round (if not better deals than Black Friday).

When I worked at TJ Maxx, I thought for sure they would have some good deals but they actually didn’t have any true Black Friday discounts (even though the store was crazy on Black Friday with people thinking they did!). Instead, a few weeks after Christmas is when everything got marked down—that’s the time to go shopping!

However, if you’re still curious what kind of Black Friday sales are going down this year, I did some of the homework for you below. Including tips about what to avoid buying on Black Friday.

Electronics Black Friday Sales

Tip: One of the iconic items to buy on Black Friday and Cyber Monday are electronics. However, it’s a good idea to whip your phone out and do some research on the model number before giving into the crazy deal. In order to produce and sell a lot of electronics some brands will actually skip some details to make it cheaper on Black Friday.

Black Friday Deals for Clothing and Furniture

Tip: Get into the habit of asking the cashier what the return policy is for the items you buy on Black Friday.

Tip: Be social media savvy and follow the stores you’re planning on going to on Black Friday. You never know when they announce a special deal online to reward their followers.

Where to Shop on Black Friday

–Target’s circular (Top Black Friday deals for Nikon CoolPix, Westinghouse HDTV, Xbox)
–Best Buy’s deals
–Walmart’s Black Friday deals (Top deals are for Fitbit Flex, Roku, Apple iPad Mini deals)-BJ’s circular
–Kohl’s sneak peak Black Friday (Top Black Friday deals for Canon Rebel T5 and Sony Playstation)
–Sear’s Black Friday deals
–Macy’s Black Friday preview
–Sam’s Black Friday ads
–Kmart Black Friday deals
–JCPenny Black Friday ads
-Lastly, here are some awesome Amazon Black Friday:

• $99.99 Kindle Paperwhite (regular price starts at $119)
• $30 off Kindle and Kindle for Kids Bundle
• $34.99 Fire 7-inch tablet (regularly $50)
• $84.99 Fire Kids Edition (regularly $100)
• $25 off Amazon Fire TV (regularly $100)
• $15 off Amazon Fire TV Stick (regularly $40) and Amazon Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote

And if you still need more ads to fuel your Black Friday craziness, check this out. Some stores are starting their Black Friday deals early! For example, Eddie Bauer has 40% off on basically the entire store already.

I still go shopping on Black Friday, but it’s more for the experience of people watching than to actually go buy things. Of course, there are still some awesome deals out (so by all means buy!) but just don’t feel pressured like I did to get all your Christmas shopping done on Black Friday. Gift giving shouldn’t be about getting the best deals but instead enjoying the experience of finding something you know that special someone will truly love.