CLEVELAND — Christmas is only 88 days away.
This week, Macy's and Toys R' Us released their list of hot toys for the season among other big retail giants like Target and Walmart that have already rolled out pre-holiday sales.
So should you run to the store and buy now, or will you save more if you wait?
3News took that very question to the experts. Consumer Reports expert Samantha Gordon says Black Friday and Cyber Monday is still the best time to get the deepest discounts, especially on electronics like big screens and smart devices.
"The whole holiday shopping season has really started to show all of these big savings and you can find big deals throughout the month. You don't necessarily need to be up at 4 a.m. in line at Walmart to get that doorbuster deal."
With other holiday gifts like toys, apparel and home goods, those will likely be marked at the same price throughout the holiday shopping season. Gordon says, no need to rush on whether you want to get those items now or later.
If you are looking to buy early, Amazon has you covered next month.
Gordon tells us, "Amazon is holding a really big two-day sale on Oct. 10 and 11. It's called "Prime Big Deal Day" this year. They did the same thing last year and it's back again. We're expecting prices that are close to what you would find on Black Friday."
Another important holiday shopping hack Gordon shared might be hidden in fine print, but could save you big bucks this season.
"A lot of retailers have this little hidden policy that they won't tell you about directly where if you buy something then it goes on sale a couple of days later you can reach out to customer service and they'll refund you the difference. all you have to do is ask."
In order to save more money and maximize the best deals for your dollar, Gordon advises you to do your research first before loading up your shopping cart.
Whether that cart is online or in stores, 3News asked Gordon if consumers are better off scoring more deals online or in-store.
"Online and in-store, you're not going to see that many differences there may be door-buster deals that are only available in-store just like there may only be deals that are only available online."
Gordon said, there are particularly no best-time-shop holiday deals unless you are buying big-ticket electronics like TVs, iPad's or other smart devices. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are reportedly the best days to score the biggest savings on those items.
