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CHICAGO – Attention shoppers!

Black Friday arrives Nov. 25 and with it the official start of the holiday shopping season.

It’s the day when retailers offer deep discounts, deals and doorbuster savings on highly sought-after products.

Traditionally, die-hard shoppers wake up and line up outside of stores early Black Friday morning so they can be the first inside to snag discounted items, while many online deals go live before the shopping holiday.

In 2021, 88 million Americans did their Black Friday shopping online from home, compared to 66.5 million who shopped in store, according to the personal finance website WalletHub.

So, whether you prefer to shop in-person or in your pajamas, all that matters is which stores offer the best discounts on the items you need.

WalletHub looked at nearly 4,000 deals from more than a dozen of the biggest retailers in the U.S. in its 2022’s Best Places to Shop on Black Friday survey, and categorized the stores offering the largest advertised deals by product.

Here’s a look at the stores in our area offering some of the lowest prices of the year!

According to WalletHub researchers the best places to shop based on their average overall discount rate for this Black Friday are:

  • JCPenney (64.7%)
  • Macy’s (53.0%)
  • Office Depot and OfficeMax (49.9%)
  • Kohl’s (44.2%)
  • Target (32.9%)
  • Big Lots (32.9%)
  • The Home Depot (30.9%)
  • Walmart (28.4%)
  • Amazon (25.7%)
  • Best Buy (22.9%)
  • Costco (16.8%)

To see how retailers stacked up based on discounts per product category, click here.

Researchers said just over 21% of the discounts are concentrated in apparel and accessories while just under 10% are toys; and the next highest concentration of deals are in the all other product categories.

Financial experts say shoppers will see the cheapest doorbuster deals on Black Friday along with major discounts on everyday big-ticket items and every day consumer goods.

They suggest you buy everything you want on Black Friday then circle back on Cyber Monday for restocks of items you may have missed.

They also say shoppers can avoid overspending and impulse buys by planning purchases and setting a budget.

Experts add you should have a game plan to maximize your budget.

They suggest you pre-shop the sales flyers and look online for the items on your list, plus have a good idea of what the “regular” price is for your big-ticket items so you know if that ‘doorbuster deal’ really is a bargain.

And finally, be sure to check the store’s return policy and keep your receipts organized.