How to prepare for Black Friday

And what to avoid [A Q&A with our in-house deals expert]( [An illustration of a calender with Black Friday circled, next to several tags displaying sales/shopping language.]( Dana Davis Most people prepare for Thanksgiving by crafting menus and getting ready to settle in for a long weekend of rest. Wirecutter senior editor and deals expert Nathan Burrow, on the other hand, hunkers down for the biggest shopping days of the year: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Between keeping our [deals page]( live with the most updated batch of discounts possible and scanning big-box retailers’ websites to weed out the bogus marketing, Nathan kindly spared a few minutes of his time to chat all things deals. He shared why, when it comes to covering the biggest shopping week of the year, no one does it quite like Wirecutter. Folks who don’t work at Wirecutter might think our extensive deals vetting process is automated. But that’s not the case at all. Can you explain what, exactly, you and your team do? I manage our team of professional deals hunters and determine the direction of our coverage. Every day we work to find our readers real and meaningful savings on Wirecutter picks. Specifically, our Deals team consists of a small but mighty group of deals detectives who scour the internet for prices that meet our standards. Wirecutter offers a curated selection of more than 4,000 recommended picks, any of which could be on sale on a given day. And no matter how good the prices we find may be, we post only the gear and gadgets that our expert journalists have vetted through rigorous and thoughtful testing. You can read about [our detailed process here]( but essentially, we do the work to weed out the duds. Particularly around Black Friday, sales can take the form of targeted emails that promise giant discounts. Or they can be holiday or anniversary sale “extravaganzas” promoted with exciting but mostly meaningless language like “Our biggest event of the year!” That makes it difficult for shoppers to know whether an offering is an overhyped “sale” that doesn’t provide a meaningful discount or an actual deal. We can tell, and we’ll always let you know. What are the best things to add to our carts this week if we want to score the biggest savings? Headphones and speakers, smart-home items, small kitchen appliances, vacuums, laptops, mobile accessories, grooming gear, wearables, budget laptops, and budget TVs. That’s a lot, we know—we’ll make it easy for you by highlighting only the best deals and spotlighting them on our site around the clock. Is there anything we should steer clear of? If you’re looking for bedding or mattresses, the best sales on the widest variety of options [will happen in February](. Similarly, mid-winter is not the best time to buy winter stuff, so check out clearance sales in February and March for coats, space heaters, and more. Holiday shopping can be an overwhelming frenzy. What’s the best way to make it easier—and, dare we say, enjoyable? Enjoyable is a tough ask, but letting others do the research for you can make it a lot more bearable. A big part of my job is to make our readers’ lives easier and make their shopping experience more affordable. What’s in your shopping bag this Black Friday? Coffee and energy drinks, which will be delivered to me hourly. Nathan and his team have already identified a slew of [the best early Black Friday deals](. We’ll keep updating this page all week, so check back! We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. [Learn more ›]( Last-minute Thanksgiving tips [A turkey being carved on a cutting board with a carving set.]( [Don’t use an electric knife to carve the turkey]( An electric knife works fine at slicing through juicy turkey breast, but [that’s about all it can do]( it just another tool you need to clean at the end of the night. [An array of our picks for the best gifts under $50.]( [Show up with a great gift]( Stumped for ideas? These [37 under-$50 gifts]( are sure to delight. [An illustration of someone holding a stack of food storage containers.]( [Be the best guest]( Solve a host’s quandaries before they arise. Here are [three simple things you can bring from home]( to do just that. [An Illustration of a person standing before a table where Thanksgiving food served while dirty dishes flying in the air.]( [Make cleanup a breeze]( After cooking a five-course meal and engaging in small talk for hours, you’re going to want a simple cleanup process. [We can help](. [Most gift baskets suck. This one doesn’t—and it’s 50% off.]( [Sauces and packets found in the Fly By Jing Lucky 88 Spice Lovers Set.]( Michael Murtaugh Gift baskets get a bad rap, and many deserve it for their uninspired or mismatched components. Not the [Fly By Jing Lucky 88 Spice Lovers set]( though—it’s packed with dried chilis, fragrant peppercorns, and umami-rich sauces that’ll make you feel like your cool friend brought you to a Chengdu spice market. In our tests, we used its contents to make a beef noodle soup. The dish was one of the most fragrant, complex bowls we’ve made at home, with intense savoriness and rich heat. For even more inspo, check out [our guide to the best gift baskets](. [View email in browser]( You are receiving this email because you signed up for Wirecutter’s Newsletter. Getting too many emails from us? To stop receiving these, [unsubscribe here](. 
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