Turkey and mashed potatoes are great, but nothing says Happy Thanksgiving like a trip to the mall. Most stores open at midnight on Black Friday, so get ready to go straight from dinner to a fashionable dessert. In addition, there are the notorious several that open up on Thanksgiving Day. Hours vary depending on location, so check when your local stores open to make a detailed shopping plan. Whatever you do, don’t miss this holiday — despite what many nonbelievers think, there are actually some great savings. Here is your go-to guide for the best clothing deals this holiday season.

The Big Savers

H&M: H&M has pre-Black Friday sales up to 60 percent off with promises of even more deals on Black Friday, starting at $4.99. In the past, H&M has dedicated a huge portion of the store to Black Friday with amazing discounts, so this is not one to miss. Plus, the first 100 shoppers in line get scratch-offs valued up to $300. While the majority of the scratch-offs aren’t worth that much, even a savings of $10 or $20 is nice around the holidays.

Express: Starting days before Black Friday, Express is offering 50 percent off everything in stores and online, plus free shipping. The website also says there will be additional daily deals during the Cyber Monday sale Nov. 30.

Gap: From Nov. 25 to Nov. 28, everything is 50 percent off at Gap in stores and online. Access the sale online with the code EARLY.

Madewell: Madewell is giving shoppers 25 percent off their entire purchase in stores and online, plus free shipping. While this isn’t as big of a discount as some other stores, Madewell also offers a 15 percent student discount in stores on top of that. Use the code CALMDOWN online to access the sale.

The Stingy Sales

Forever 21: At Forever 21, deals are starting at $3 in stores and online on Black Friday and lasting until Dec. 3. While $3 sounds great, these deals have been overrated in the past, including cheap leftover clothes that can’t sell, plus items that would be $3 anyway, like socks and stocking stuffers. The organization of the store has been extremely poor in the past, with huge bins of clothes that are unrelated, often placed under the wrong price signs, and impossible to navigate. Forever 21 is one that I would skip this year.

Victoria’s Secret: Victoria’s Secret gets a lot of hype on Black Friday, but I find that their deals are underwhelming. With a $75 purchase, shoppers this year will get a free tote, which looks like a giant sparkly shopping bag with sequin stripes and the store’s name printed largely across it. Bras are buy one, get one 50 percent off, which is a good deal, but it is a deal that is offered several times throughout the year with Victoria’s Secret’s daily array of promo codes online. Sherpa robes are $35, hoodies and boyfriend pants are $30 and all eau de parfum is $25. Unless you are specifically in the market for one of these items, I don’t think the sale is worth dealing with the crowds.

The Secret Keeper

Anthropologie: While this store is known for not releasing Black Friday ads, it has participated in sales in the past. Last year, shoppers received 25 percent off all items on Friday only, and in-store shoppers also received a free holiday popper of confetti and a paper crown, plus a gift card for a few lucky winners. While no announcements have been made yet, check the site before you go out shopping to see if this store will be on your itinerary.

The Cyber Store

Kate Spade: In the week preceding Black Friday, which seems to have become its own shopping holiday, Kate Spade launched a Black Friday Surprise Sale online that offers up to 75 percent off of products. To enter the sale, which ends Nov. 28 at 11:59 p.m., go to surprise.katespade.com and enter your email and zip code. Kate Spade does Surprise Sales multiple times throughout the year, so this isn’t exclusive to Black Friday, but it still is a great time to shop if you’re looking for holiday gifts.

Jackie Homan is a sophomore magazine journalism major. You can email her at jahoman@syr.edu or follow her @jackie_homan on Twitter.

 

Published on November 26, 2015 at 7:37 pm