Black Friday Savings and Shopping: 2020 Edition
- UpdatedJan 18, 2025
- Black Friday is no longer a single day, and you don't have to duke it out in person.
- Look to buy what you want early. Plan your spending and look for deals with apps, social media and online comparison sites.
- Shop safe with pre-orders and curbside pickup.
Black Friday is fast approaching! If you’d like to take advantage of the country’s favorite day of bargains during this pandemic era, safety should be your utmost priority. While you may have to forgo your annual tradition of waking up at the crack of dawn, waiting in long lines, and navigating large crowds, you can still score some great deals. Here’s a closer look at how you can enjoy Black Friday savings while keeping yourself and your loved ones safe.
Get to know retailer safety measures
As a result of the virus, many retailers are implementing special safety measures to make Black Friday shopping safe and enjoyable. It’s a good idea to become familiar with them so that you can adjust your plans accordingly. Several of these safety measures include:
Longer sales: To prevent crowded stores on November 27th, some retailers are offering the same deals the week or even month leading up to the day. If you have your eye on a particular item, you may be able to save just as much money by buying it before Black Friday.
Pre-orders and curbside pickup: By accepting pre-orders and curbside pickup, retailers are limiting the interaction between customers and their sales associates. Pre-orders and curbside pickup can be a good option if you know exactly what you’d like to buy and want to avoid searching for your items in store.
New in-store protocols: To ensure customers feel safe in their stores, some retailers are limiting how many people can enter at one time, reducing store hours, requiring masks, and providing hand sanitizer. If you prefer to shop in store, these protocols should make you feel a bit more comfortable.
Online deals: Although online Black Friday shopping has been a tradition for decades, it may be even more popular than usual this year. You may find that retailers that only offered in-person doorbusters are now promoting Black Friday savings online. This is great news as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests we avoid shopping in crowded stores right before, on, or after Thanksgiving. They highly recommend Americans shop online rather than in person on the day after Thanksgiving.
How to save on Black Friday
Now that you know how retailers are planning to create a safe shopping experience in the midst of the pandemic, here are some tips on how to save on Black Friday.
Follow retailers on social media: Follow the pages of your favorite retailers on social media. This way you won’t miss out on any Black Friday promotions. If you don’t watch a lot of TV and tend to throw out ads you get in the mail, social media can help you stay in the know. You can also subscribe to email newsletters, and even get additional discounts when you sign up.
Plan your Black Friday shopping: Tons of impulse buys on items that you don’t really need or want can push you into debt this holiday season. Therefore, it’s a good idea to plan your Black Friday purchases beforehand. Jot down a list of how much you have, what you’d like to spend your money on and then stick to it.
Don’t forget about coupons: Just because you find a great Black Friday deal doesn’t mean you can’t use coupons to save even more. Depending on the retailer and item, you may be able to cash in on extra savings with coupons. RetailMeNot, Honey, and com can help you find coupons and discount codes.
Abandon your cart: This is a tick that has been discussed by some online savings advocates. If you’re shopping online and can’t find any relevant coupons or discount codes, place the items you’d like in your cart and leave the website. A few online retailers may send you an email or ad from their site with a coupon. Strategically abandoning your cart might just lead to additional discounts you may not be able to find elsewhere.
Cyber Monday will be big this year: Don’t forget about savings opportunities on Cyber Monday. Retailers should be even more prepared to give those last chance discounts in the totally safe environment of online shopping.
Download browser extensions and apps: There are a number of browser extensions and apps that inform you of cheaper prices and deals, so consider downloading them. A few options you may want to try include Flipp and Shopsavvy.
Be smarter about debt this Black Friday
In addition to capitalizing on Black Friday savings, use this holiday to it to learn how to better manage your debt. The less debt you have, the more enjoyable Black Friday shopping can be. If you’re struggling with debt, download our free How to Manage Debt Guide to learn about your options now. This free information is a great way to start taking ownership of your money and move toward a more secure financial future.
Learn More
10 Holiday Shopping Debt Traps You Need to Avoid (Freedom Debt Relief)
Balances at a Historic Low: Time to Get Credit Card Debt Under Control (Freedom Debt Relief)
The Credit Card Sign Up Bonus: Too Good to Be True? (Freedom Debt Relief)
Top 10 Black Friday Shopping Tips (Freedom Debt Relief)
Debt relief by the numbers
We looked at a sample of data from Freedom Debt Relief of people seeking debt relief during November 2024. This data reveals the diversity of individuals seeking help and provides insights into some of their key characteristics.
Credit utilization and debt relief
How are people using their credit before seeking help? Credit utilization measures how much of a credit line is being used. For example, if you have a credit line of $10,000 and your balance is $3,000, that is a credit utilization of 30%. High credit utilization often signals financial stress. We have looked at people who are seeking debt relief and their credit utilization. (Low credit utilization is 30% or less, medium is between 31% and 50%, high is between 51% and 75%, very high is between 76% to 100%, and over-utilized over 100%). In November 2024, people seeking debt relief had an average of 79% credit utilization.
Here are some interesting numbers:
| Credit utilization bucket | Percent of debt relief seekers |
|---|---|
| Over utilized | 30% |
| Very high | 32% |
| High | 19% |
| Medium | 10% |
| Low | 9% |
The statistics refer to people who had a credit card balance greater than $0.
You don't have to have high credit utilization to look for a debt relief solution. There are a number of solutions for people, whether they have maxed out their credit cards or still have a significant part available.
Home-secured debt – average debt by selected states
According to the 2023 Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) (using 2022 data) the average home-secured debt for those with a balance was $212,498. The percentage of families with mortgage debt was 42%.
In November 2024, 25% of the debt relief seekers had a mortgage. The average mortgage debt was $236504, and the average monthly payment was $1882.
Here is a quick look at the top five states by average mortgage balance.
| State | % with a mortgage balance | Average mortgage balance | Average monthly payment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 20 | $391,113 | $2,710 | |
| District of Columbia | 17 | $339,911 | $2,330 | |
| Utah | 31 | $316,936 | $2,094 | |
| Nevada | 25 | $306,258 | $2,082 | |
| Massachusetts | 28 | $297,524 | $2,290 |
The statistics are based on all debt relief seekers with a mortgage loan balance over $0.
Housing is an important part of a household's expenses. Remember to consider all your debts when looking for a way to get debt relief.
Tackle Financial Challenges
Don’t let debt overwhelm you. Learn more about debt relief options. They can help you tackle your financial challenges. This is true whether you have high credit card balances or many tradelines. Start your path to recovery with the first step.
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