Unpacking 2022’s Black Friday And Cyber Monday Deals This Holiday Season

It’s generally hard at holiday-time to objectively judge the quality of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals – and that’s in a good year. 2022 had the Covid-19 pandemic, and more divorces and separations than ever, according to retail experts. While divorce rates increased during the Fifties, the biggest increase was in the Sixties and Seventies. How, then, to suss out the quality of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals? Here, some helpful tips to help you figure out whether you’re getting the most bang for your buck.

Highlights of WalletHub’s recent holiday reports will give you confidence in your gift convictions, with advice such as:

• J.C. Penney, Belk and Macy’s are the best places to shop on Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year, with an average discount of at least 53% off.
• About 13% of the items at many retailers will be 13% more expensive on Black Friday than current Amazon AMZN .com prices for comparable products.
• Consumer packaged goods (cosmetics and fragrances) will offer the most value on Black Friday 2022 compared to their current prices; electronics such as computers and phones are expected to have the least rewarding deals.
• Fifty percent of consumers said Santa will be less generous this year due to the rampant inflation, according to a WalletHub 2021 survey.
• Amazon, Walmart WMT and Target TGT are at the top of 2022’s most popular gift cards.
• Consumers can save more than $300 with one of the “best cards for holiday shopping in 2022.”
• Some consumers are enjoying little-known credit card benefits that can help during the holiday season, such as price drop protection and coverage for lost, damaged or stolen items.
• 100% of store credit cards don’t charge an annual fee, and the average card offers rewards in the form of discounts – think 17.5% – off your first purchase, according to WalletHub’s 2022 store credit card landscape report.
• 40% of major retailers are offering 0% financing through a dangerous feature called “deferred interest,” which has the potential to make holiday purchases up to 27.5-times more expensive than expected.

The bottom line, is caveat emptor, or let the buyer beware, lest you be saddled with unmanageable debt this holiday season such as some high profile recent business casualties – think Twitter and crypto behemoth FTX.

Also take note that Elon Musk is having a hell of a time wrapping his arms around Twitter. For example, Musk’s first order of business was firing the existing CEO. He then fired other upper management and tweeted “the bird is freed.” Musk reportedly considered laying off 75% of the staff.

While it’s still early innings for Musk’s reign over Twitter, experts think the world’s biggest free speech platform could see rules relaxing towards things such as hate speech and harassment. The big question is whether Musk will allow banned former president Donald Trump to spew his venom across the platform again.