This Is The Best Day To Go Holiday Shopping—And It’s Not Black Friday

When I was in middle and high school, one of the things I begged my parents for the most was permission to go Black Friday shopping with friends. The twin attractions of getting to exercise my newfound purchasing power (even if it only amounted to measly savings from birthdays and babysitting) and getting to stay out overdue (or extra early) made it seem like the most enticing thing I could do during Thanksgiving break. Mind you—these were the days before online shopping and Amazon took over. I vividly remember getting the newspaper stuffed with department store ads a few days before Thanksgiving, then, ever the planner, circling and categorizing each deal I’d seek out. Nothing could bring me down from the high I got after scoring the last pair of suede slouchy boots in my size—for only $20!

Now that I’m no longer a high schooler, the thought of leaving the house to shop after Thanksgiving dinner or waking up at the crack of dawn to hit the stores sounds miserable at best and terrifying at worst. So, like low-rise jeans and bubble skirts, I’ve left my love for Black Friday firmly in the past.

The Best Day To Go Holiday Shopping

While I no longer partake in the madness of Black Friday shopping, I still have a cushioned spot for in-person shopping, and one of my favorite times to shop is around the holidays. Everyone’s bustling about looking for gifts for their loved ones, and while there is a certain amount of chaos that can bring, there’s also a sweet sense of nostalgia and dare I say—Christmas magic, too. (I’m also still a sucker for a deal, so the allure of buying a dress that was once $200 for $50 remains a draw.)

After years of experimentation, my mom (who’s also a shopping purist) and I have cracked the code on the best day to go holiday shopping, and it’s the day before Thanksgiving. This year, that happens to be November 27.

Why Black Friday Shopping Is Overrated

Many stores don’t open the night of Thanksgiving like they once did, but for the ones that do, do you really want to leave the warmth and comfort of your home (and your loved ones) to snag a low-cost TV you probably don’t need? If you wait until the following morning, you’ll probably be feeling extra sluggish from the previous night’s substantial meal, which makes leaving the house seem like even more of a chore. Then, you’ll have to battle traffic, find a parking spot, and hope that whatever doorbuster you intended on buying is still in stock. The whole thing seems like a substantial headache to me.

Why The Day Before Thanksgiving Is The Best Day To Shop

On the other hand, shopping on the day before Thanksgiving is an all-around lovely experience. For one, stores have already fully stocked their shelves with merchandise in preparation for the post-Thanksgiving rush. You’ll find that sweater you wanted in every size and color imaginable (neatly folded no less), so you won’t have to rummage through a rack of ransacked knits just to find one in your size. While crowds aren’t exactly non-existent on this day, they’re much more manageable and the company of other ecstatic shoppers only adds to the cheery holiday experience for me.

Now it’s time to address the elephant in the room: the deals. Anyone who knows me or my mom knows that we are bargain shoppers to our core, so believe us when we say: the deals are just as good. Like I said, you may not find electronics for outrageous prices (there were probably only going to be 10 $100 iPads anyway), but everything else you’d want to buy is usually priced the same on the day before Thanksgiving as it is on the day after.

Most stores have moved away from slashing all their prices only for Black Friday and have instead begun rolling out holiday savings throughout the month of November, with savings reaching a peak on the week of Thanksgiving. Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be the most well-known shopping holidays, but the day before Thanksgiving will always be my biggest shopping day of the year. Let me know if you’ve got a catchy word to go with “Wednesday” so we can make this thing official. Secret Wednesday, anyone? I’ll workshop it.