The Best (& Worst) Stores For Black Friday Deals Are Surprising

Planning on doing some Black Friday shopping? You’re not alone — overall, 2016 holiday spending is estimated to increase to $655.8 billion. Whether you’re shopping for family or just eyeing deals for yourself (no judgement), those post-Thanksgiving discounts can make it hard to resist. But before you set your alarm clocks, consider which stores are actually worth the early-morning wake-up call. Wallethub looked at 35 major retailers and calculated where the best deals are happening. Coming in at number one? Macy’s, where the average discount is over half off — 63.4%. Tied for second: Stage, which owns stores like Goody’s and Peebles; and JCPenney, with an average of 62.8%. While some of the other stores in the top 10 may surprise you (we’ve never heard of Shopko or Harbor Freight), the ones that rank the lowest for discounts sound more familiar. Amazon’s discounts average at less than 25% off, making it number 34 of 35. Target does a little better, with an average discount of 28.6% (and, hey, a discount is still a discount). The study also includes best discounts by product. If you’re looking to buy a new computer or phone, for example, consider heading to Kmart, where average discounts are 54.9%. Wallethub also found that the deepest average discounts are on jewelry, followed by apparel and accessories, and the lowest discounts tend to be for toys. See the full study here.