The Super Bowl of Shopping is Here – Are You Ready?
The countdown is officially on!
Thanksgiving is tomorrow and that means today is the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season and the Super Bowl of bargain shopping is upon us! With so many sales to be found, gifts to be shopped and turkey to be had (not necessarily in that order), where should you start?!
Well, you could start at 4am on Friday morning. What? Waking up before the crack of dawn after eating half your weight in turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce & pumpkin pie, just to stand in the freezing cold & then get be stuck between automatic doors whilst being trampled by 100+ caffeine-loaded shoppers in the entryway of Target isn’t your ideal Friday AM? No worries, you aren’t alone. And to those brave souls who do take on the classic Black Friday rush – I applaud your efforts. To the non-early birds & BF crowd-fearing shoppers, here’s what I’ve got:
It looks like many retailers have launched their Black Friday deals early (some even kicked off markdown mania last weekend!), while others are holding out for the actual date. Below are some great finds I’ve come across (there are many, so start looking while the bird’s in the oven tomorrow!) and things to look out for, as well as some tips for strategic shopping this weekend:
J. Crew launched their extra 40% off your purchase sale yesterday (use the code “ThankU” at checkout) and I HIGHLY recommend snagging anything you want NOW. If they dip their prices lower after the 23rd, you can always ask them about price honoring, but let me tell you, I had two items in my basket today and while I was perusing others, both sold out and I signed off empty-handed. This is a major sale to hit ASAP! J.Crew is also at 10% cash back on Ebates – pretty incredible! So seriously, shop this one now, people!
J. Crew Factory doesn’t seem to have launched their official Black Friday sale just yet, but they are providing a sneak peak at some discounts we can expect on their website… oh yeah, and everything is already 50% off! A word to the wise: window shop now, put everything you might want in your cart (like this fab & festive plaid top I styled below), and checkout as soon as the actual sale launches (or if this is the real deal and the sale stays the same, do your online check out tomorrow night or Friday morning so you don’t miss any of your must-haves).
Gap released their Black Friday promotions early as well with their 50% off EVERYTHING sale (use the code “BlkFriday” at checkout). I had been slowly loading up my cart with stocking stuffers over the last few weeks (Gap is fantastic for socks, undies & sleepwear as stocking stuffers…. More to come in the gift guide!), and I was SO happy I decided to take a peak today because not only had they launched their BF sale, but many of the items in my cart had also been discounted a hefty 30%-50% off pre-promotion. If you have time, I’d shop early and wouldn’t worry about missing out on extra deals – I think this is the big one.
Old Navy is also offering 50% off with 8% cash back on Ebates (same as Gap) and man did they step up their activewear and pajama game this year! Just check out these adorable scallop hem leggings and buffalo plaid PJ’s!
Macy’s has officially kicked off their Black Friday deals and I kid you not – most of these discounts are STEEP! My favorite new cozy sweater (pictured below… runs ENORMOUS) has dropped nearly 40%, and – please excuse my over-excitement here – some fabulous jeans (like these skinnies from Levi’s) are marked down to as low as THIRTY-TWO DOLLARS, PEOPLE! Okay, $32.99, but come on, that’s insane!
Kohl’s is not a store that I frequent, but let me tell you, this place is perfect for family jammies! I’m notorious for forcing my family and my in-laws into Fam Jams each holiday season (thank you Lewis & Gaffney fams for entertaining my matchy-matchy obsessions :)) and Burt’s Bees Baby always has adorable, cozy options for the family during the holidays. You can find these at Target and other retailers, but I love Kohl’s for their awesome discounts on these gems (jams? You get it). See below for last year’s Santa Claus/Candy Cane stripe-theme with my husband’s family (available here in a one-piece version).
A few pieces of advice for Black Friday & Cyber Monday shopping:
- Don’t overdo it – just because something is marked down doesn’t mean that it must be yours – shop smart & shop strategically!
- Have fun, it’s just shopping! If something sells out, look elsewhere or check back in a few days (people will make returns, I promise)!
- I probably sound like a broken record or a business partner (I’m not – just a huge fan!), but SIGN UP for Ebates if you haven’t already (you can do so via the button below)! Their website is referencing cash back deals up to 25% (insane!), so if you’re shopping online or in store, take advantage and get paid to shop – it might just help you snag a few extra stocking stuffers for yourself loved ones 😉
Stay tuned for more Black Friday & Cyber Monday finds, as well as my P&P holiday gift guide!
Happy shopping and more importantly, happy Thanksgiving to you and your friends & family! Enjoy the holiday, everyone!
xo | M
My Cozy-Cool Outfit
Sweater: Free People (on sale!) … similar here, here (so many colors!) and here
Jeans: J Brand 811’s … similar here (40% off!) & here (on sale!)
Shoes: Steve Madden (Gucci mule knockoffs 😉 … similar here, here & here
Sunnies: Illesteva … larger version here, similar here and here
My Thanksgiving Dinner (and likely holiday party/dinner) Outfit
Coat: J.Crew Factory (old) … similar here, here, here and here
Pants: DL 1961 Coated Jeans (old… but hands-down the best pant investment I made last year!) … newer version here and similar here & here
Shoes: Suede Lauren Ralph Lauren (old) … similar here & here
Christmas 2016 – The best Gaffney Fam Jam’s yet (Burt’s Bees Baby via Kohl’s :))
