The best days to shop between now and Christmas

Have you started your holiday shopping yet? If not, there’s a period of about two weeks when you’ll be able to find the best deals, according to Clark.

When to shop for the best holiday deals

Read more: Black Friday predictions: How to score the best deals this year!

While Black Friday gets all the attention, it’s not as important as it used to be. Now, the weekend before Thanksgiving to the first week of December is the time to look for bargains.

The calendars below highlight Clark’s best and worst days to shop this year!

Read more: Clark’s Black Friday price point predictions

Why not the week before Christmas?

In addition to crowds, all of those procrastinators who shop the week before Christmas may pay more for the hottest holiday items, and that’s if those gifts are still in stock.

The exception? You’ll find plenty of deals on failed items that retailers can’t get rid of.

According to data from Cardlytics, last-minute shoppers make up 31% of holiday shoppers and account for nearly 30% of all holiday spending. Procrastinators spend an average of $800 over the holiday season.

This year, the National Retail Federation expects holiday sales overall to increase a “solid” 3.6% to $655.8 billion.

Black Friday 2016: What you need to know

And if you’re willing to brave the crowds on Black Friday, Clark predicts the best doorbuster deals will be on appliances, televisions, laptops and cell phones.

You may see more people in stores on Black Friday than usual because so many stores have decided not to open on Thanksgiving.

As for shopping online or in stores, Clark said, “The combination of the two is what will get you the best deals. If you stick with one or the other, you’ll miss opportunities.”

Read more: Here’s a long list of retailers that will be closed on Thanksgiving this year

Clark’s takeaway

Bottom line: People who’ve already started shopping and take their time to study the sale ads will fare better than those who wait until the last minute to get their shopping done.

To keep up with the best deals as we learn about them, visit our Clark Deals page.

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