(WXYZ) — While Halloween hasn't even passed, many people are already seeing sales fit for the holidays.
Companies are rolling out Black Friday deals earlier than ever, and it's catching the attention of retail experts and shoppers.
"It’s just a little overwhelming right now. I haven’t even thought about [holiday shopping] yet," Veronica Denha of West Bloomfield told me.
But Tanyell Blair of Detroit was already out shopping! She heard about Target's early Black Friday deals— including big discounts on TVs.
“Think about it. You beat the rush. You beat all the crowds and all the over-picked items. So, you kind of get everything all fresh to the shelves," said Blair.
Thor Hicks, from Oak Park, was really looking for electronics. "I saw the Black Friday sale actually TikTok," Hicks explained.
Kristin McGrath, the editor of RetailMeNot's Real Deal Blog said the shopping season is getting longer.
“I think we can expect what we've been seeing in the past couple of years, a more elongated holiday shopping season," she said.
McGrath said a recent RetailMeNot survey found 56% of U.S. consumers will be scouting deals in October.
She said to look for sales on older model TVs, clothing, athleisure, and home goods.
Amazon rolled out its first-ever Prime Early Access sale last week, and Walmart, Kohl's, Macy's, BestBuy and Target joined the mid-October bargain party as well.
"How can shoppers be smart this holiday season?" I asked Samantha Gordon, the Deals Editor for Consumer Reports.
”Inflation is definitely a big concern this season, but there are ways to mitigate that by starting your shopping early. You're able to shop around and look for those lower prices. It's also a really good idea to look at retailer’s holiday price matching policies," Gordon said.
According to Gordon, Target's "Holiday Price Match Guarantee" will match the price even if it goes lower at Target on items purchased between Oct. 6 and Dec. 24 – with some exclusions.
McGrath said stores might drop prices a bit lower on actual Black Friday, but those big doorbusters tend to sell out quickly. So, if there's something you really want on your list, Gordon said you should try to take advantage of an early deal.
There are also tools that can help you with finding the deals. Honey, a free browser extension owned by PayPal, helps you find coupon codes on more than 30,000 sites. Camel Camel Camelis a free Amazon price tracker that shows you price history so you can know if something is actually a deal or not.
