How to Prepare for Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Make a short list of products you already want, save the exact listings, and pick a price you would pay for each. For 2026, US Black Friday is November 27 and Cyber Monday is November 30. Check each retailer for the dates and terms of its own promotions.
Start with the item, your budget, and a deadline
Write down the exact model or SKU, the configuration you want, your maximum checkout total, and the latest date you can order. For a laptop, record its memory and storage. For a camera, record whether you need the body or a kit. A short list of specific products makes it easier to compare offers when several retailers run sales at once.
Use this checklist for each item:
- Exact model, variant, condition, and seller
- Product link for each store you are willing to buy from
- Maximum budget including delivery and tax
- Target listing price and latest date you can order
Check a price baseline before the sale
Look up the same listing in the price history catalog. Compare its latest recorded price with its typical price and recorded low, and check how far back the observations go. If the listing has little or no history, save it now and use your own budget as the starting point for an alert.
See how to read a price history chart for a comparison of recent and longer-term lows. If an iPad is on your list, the Best Buy iPad alert guide shows how to save the exact model and set a target.
Suppose your limit is $500 delivered and you expect $40 in tax and delivery. You might set a $460 listing-price target, then check the final total when the alert arrives.
Set alerts and check your watchlist
Find the retailer in the supported stores directory and open its tracker. Paste each product link, enter your target price, and sign in if prompted. Check your watchlist to make sure you saved the right listing and target. If you use the iPhone app, check that notifications are allowed for Price Drop Catch.
Shopping for camera gear? The B&H camera tracking guide walks through this with a real Nikon Z8 price history. The B&H holiday page has offers to browse and recorded prices to compare.
When an alert arrives, check the final offer
Open the original listing and confirm the variant, condition, seller, shipping estimate, return terms, and checkout price. If the deal requires a coupon, membership, or trade-in, check whether you qualify. Use your budget and delivery deadline to decide whether to buy now or keep watching through Cyber Monday.