JACKSONVILLE, Fla — The Black Friday craze isn't what it's been in years past, but dozens of people still lined up in Jacksonville outside Best Buy.
Several shoppers said they got up at 4:00 a.m. to be in line for the store to open at 5:00 a.m. and saved more than $200 on their electronics.
Now that the biggest shopping day of the year is here and there are Black Friday deals all over the place, how do you know which ones will actually save you money?
There are a few things financial experts say you should pay attention to. They say to look at the discount, availability and affordability of the item you want.
They suggest downloading a price-comparison app such as Shop Savvy to search for your item beforehand. You'll also want to make sure the item you want is actually in stock as some places are still dealing with supply chain problems.
The biggest piece of advice financial experts have is to stop and think about your budget. They say even if a deal is looking really sweet, if you can't afford it, you can't afford it and suggest holding off on buying the item.
There are certain days to get the best deals on certain items. Software company Adobe states Black Friday has the best deals for TVs, Saturday for toys, Sunday for clothes and sporting goods and Cyber Monday for computers and furniture. They actually say to wait until December 1 for appliances. Thanksgiving Day was expected to be the best for electronics.
Look for specific deals at the stores you go to. At Target if you buy your item now and the price drops by Christmas Eve, they'll match the lower price.
Check if your favorite local small business is doing Black Friday sales and not just Small Business Saturday sales. For instance, San Marco Bookstore is doing 30 percent off for two hours only, starting at 8:00 a.m.
The National Retail Federation predicts eight million more people compared to last year will be emptying their wallets between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.