Black Friday is a nationwide event in which stores across the U.S. heavily discount large amounts of their merchandise. The event began in the 1960s in Philadelphia. Its original name was “Big Friday”. However, the tradition took a new meaning in the 1980s due to the stores selling so much merchandise that their revenue went from “in the red” (loss) to “in the black” (profit). Many people look forward to Black Friday each year as a prime time to buy presents for the coming holidays, restock on essentials, or go bargain hunting for a usually expensive item. Many stores will be a part of the big Black Friday sale this year, including but not limited to Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and even online stores like Amazon. But the answer may surprise you regarding which stores will give you the most bang for your buck regarding deals. The Lafayette Times interviewed Mirabel Anderson and Katlyn Conrad, students at Lafayette, to get their views on the matter.

For starters, many people go Black Friday shopping for presents for their friends or family, and for people who will be shopping for that reason, we recommend two places: Walmart and Amazon. This year, Walmart has deals in almost every category of items they sell, making it great for people to get various items at once. The deals at Walmart this year are pretty generous, ranging from 30% to 75% off items like appliances, clothes, electronics, toys, and beauty products. Amazon is another excellent option for shoppers who don’t want to brave the crowds in stores on Black Friday. Anderson says, “I think that Amazon has the best deals since I usually go online shopping. It’s just the easiest place to go when I’m looking for deals.” Shoppers this year will be able to find various items on sale on Amazon, with the bonus of having all of your items delivered to your door (usually within 2-3 days).

Bargain shoppers can find big deals at Walmart all across America. The deals include electronic sales like the newest Apple Watch released this year. It usually goes from $400 to $500 but instead goes for $349. Another Apple product that is also going on sale is the iPhone 13. Its usual price is $879, but it sells at $679. These are on Walmart’s official website the day after Thanksgiving, November 24th.

Many stores this year are targeting their deals toward the online market. We recommend searching online for deals before Black Friday, as many companies have deals and discounts before Black Friday. Overall, this year’s sales look significant, so best of luck, shoppers!