Black Friday is approaching, and shoppers are hoping to score fantastic deals on products during the annual event.

Due to Thanksgiving being late this year, fewer items have been advertised on the actual day.

Retailers have instead opted to spread out the special sales, rather than just focusing on Black Friday.

‘Retailers have taken the fun out of the mad frenzy that used to occur on a single day – Black Friday itself,’ explained Consumer World founder Edgar Dworsky.

‘Knowing when is the right time to snatch the best deal is now almost impossible.’

Various retail empires have done their best to keep Black Friday deals a secret and some of the sales from stores like Kohl’s and BJ’s Wholesale Club are not advertising many items.

Many sales are also starting early online, making it tricky for shoppers to know how to access the best deals. 

But Americans should keep doing their homework by comparing prices and products, and strike early if a deal looks good, Consumer World said. 

Amid the frenzy, here are some top tips that the stores hope you don’t know – and will help you score big in the sales.  

Analyze all in-store and online sales 

Some Black Friday deals are better than others, which is why shoppers may want to consider using a pricing tool.

Pricing tools allow shoppers to compare today’s price to what was charged over the last year on a company’s website or on other sellers such as Amazon. 

This means they can sense check any advertised percent-off discounts, to see whether anyone has ever actually paid the higher list price.

Handy pricing tools include Price Checker in Consumer World, Google Shopping, PriceGrabber, Shopzilla and camelcamelcamel.com.

Experts have also advised Black Friday fans shopping online to find out the total price with tax before buying.

It is also crucial to be careful with unfamiliar online sellers.

‘The holidays are one of the busiest times of the year for both shoppers and scammers,’ said New York Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley.

‘While online shopping is a convenient way to purchase gifts and find deals, scammers often use this time as an opportunity to take advantage of consumers and steal their information or their hard-earned money.’

Tools that may come in handy for customers looking for the best prices are Google Shopping, PriceGrabber, and Shopzilla

Save with ‘Triple Plays’ 

One thing that could help shoppers on Black Friday is to do what Consumer World calls a ‘Triple Play.’

This is buying items at a good sales price, using percent-off or dollars-off coupons, and finding items with cash-back rebates.

One retail empire that Consumer World recommends shopping at to utilize this strategy is Kohl’s.

Walmart and Amazon are two other shopping sources offering cash-back rebates on products.

Watch out for special sales 

Customers may be able to score some fantastic deals during Thanksgiving week before Black Friday.

Some Black Friday prices will either start soon or have already begun, according to Consumer World.

One annual event that’s already begun is Walmart’s annual ‘Black Friday Deals,’ which kicked off on November 25.

The Walmart event will run through Cyber Monday on December 2.

Amazon’s ‘Black Friday Deals’ began on November 21 and will be available for various products until November 29.

Not all stores will open at the same time on Black Friday, which is why it’s to plan an arrival time 

Use the right credit card 

It is worth shopping with a card which offers purchase protection, which means the card company will refund the purchase if the store will not. 

Others offer a sale price guarantee, which means the issuer will give you back the difference if an item goes on further sale within 60 days of purchase.

Certain credit cards can also offer free benefits, and some places will even give shoppers an extra discount if they use a store-brand card.

Be warned, however, that many store-brand cards have hiked their interest rates in recent months. 

The best credit card to use for general Black Friday shopping this year is the Wells Fargo Active Cash Card, according to CNBC.

Some of the pros of this card include unlimited cash rewards, a $200 cash rewards welcome bonus, and no annual fee.

Other cards Black Friday shoppers may want to look into include the Discover it Cash Back, Target Circle Card, and Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card, according to the outlet. 

Keep price-match guarantees in mind 

Shoppers who’ve purchased products from Black Friday through Cyber Monday may be entitled to money back if stores don’t honor price matches. 

Price match guarantees are when retailers promise to adjust the price of an item to match a lower price of the same product at a different retailer.

In most cases, customers can potentially get some of their money back on a product if a seller or competing retailer sells the same exact item for a lower price before Christmas.

Some places that have done this for various products during the holiday season include Target, Walmart, and Best Buy.    

Shoppers who’ve purchased products from Black Friday through Cyber Monday may be entitled to money back

Find the correct product 

Shoppers looking for a Black Friday deal on a specific item may need to do extra research before figuring out where to purchase a product.

A terrible item with a low price is ‘no bargain,’ according to Consumer World.

Check websites where professionals rate products – such as Consumer Reports or Wirecutter.com.

Other things to look over that can help in figuring out the right product are lists featuring ‘best’ or ‘worst’ items, customer reviews, and product descriptions.

Customers planning to do their Black Friday shopping on Amazon may want to watch out for the ‘Amazon’s Choice’ badge, which is given to products that are considered the ‘best of the best.’

Find the ads 

Shoppers looking for ideas on how to snag an item for a good deal can look for advertisements online or in magazines inside a store.

Consumers can also look over special deals sent to them via email or an app notification.

If customers don’t receive emails or magazines, they can take a look at potential flash sales offered for one day only on the company’s website.

Late shoppers should be warned that they may have missed out on deals promoted earlier in the month.  

Other options include looking for ‘flash’ bargains on companies’ social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram or websites such as blackfriday.gottadeal.com.

Be careful of social media scams, however, and do not click on any links you do not recognize. 

Customers can usually find return policies on online checkout pages, order confirmation emails, or signs right near doors or registers

Check return policies 

One must-do task when looking for a product to buy is checking the item’s return policy.

Return policies can differ depending on the product and store.

But many stores have extended their return deadlines until early January. 

Some stores may have rules around returning sale items, or charge added fees which could catch you out.  

Customers can usually find return policies on online checkout pages, order confirmation emails, in-store signage, or signs right near doors or registers.

Any customers who want to return a product will likely need to show a store employee a receipt before getting their money back. 

Plan accordingly 

Not all Black Friday sales begin the exact same day or time.

Some e-commerce websites will open at midnight, while brick-and-mortar stores may open at 5am or 6am on Black Friday.

Other places may begin Black Friday events the day before, or, in some cases, the first week of November.

But for later shoppers the good news is late November and early December sales traffic should be reduced because some people went online or bought earlier in the month. 

Depending on what items someone wants to buy on Black Friday, quantities could be limited, and they could fly off the shelves shortly after stores or shopping websites start sales.