SC Picks: Our Guide to Black Friday 2019
We’re officially in the throes of Thanksgiving, which means we’re all preparing for the five f’s: family, friends, feasting, football, and Black Friday shopping! Y’all know we love a good deal, so we asked all our people here at Smart City what they’ve got their eye on for this holy grail of shopping days.
Before we get started, just a quick reminder that since Thanksgiving is later this year than in previous years, a lot of retailers have kicked-off their Black Friday specials early. So, if Black Friday shopping overwhelms you or you’re not into camping out for the best deals, get a head-start now!
Now, back to our regularly-scheduled program – deals!
For the love of food
Our very, very top pick for this year’s Black Friday frenzy? Instant Pots! These little multi-cookers do the whole shebang – slow cooking, steaming, yogurt maker (WHAT), warming pot, rice cooker – you name it. It makes sense why they’re all the craze this Black Friday (even though all our grandmothers have used these for decades and we’re just now getting enough sense to use them ourselves).
We’ve seen deals for these babies on Amazon for under $100 (6-quart cooker with 16 programs- wowza); we’ve seen them at Walmart for under $80 (6-quart cooker with 14 programs, and we’ve seen them at Bed Bath & Beyond for under $70 (6-quart cooker with 15 programs). If you’re feeling like those are a little out of your price range for everything you’ll use it for, check out the Insignia Multi-function Pressure Cooker at Best Buy that’s less than $30.
Next up for our foodies – the Blendtec blender! There are a few options when it comes to the level of Blendtec you’re looking for, so definitely make sure you shop around before completing your purchase. We found the Designer 650 at Best Buy for less than $400, and the Designer 625 for under $300 on the Blendtec website thru Dec 3 (head-nod to Cyber Monday).
Last, but definitely not least (because plastic food containers are so 2018), Pyrex! Whether you’re a die-hard glass container guy or gal, or new to the scene, Pyrex is the way to go when it comes to storing food and baking. For starters, these air-tight sealed containers are “engineered with nonporous glass so they are stain-proof and don’t absorb food odors or flavors – making it [them] easy to clean.” And, using glass bakeware speed up the baking process because they absorb heat, rather than reflect it, and retain more heat than metal. There’s your science lesson for the day, now on to where you can start or add on to your collection for less monies.
We found that Kohl’s has the best deals online, and on top of having them marked down, they are adding additional discounts at checkout with a special code. Stack up your Pyrex while stacking up the savings; that’s our motto.
For the love of technology
Can you believe the Instant Pot beat out the traditional Black Friday hunt for Smart TVs and robot vacuums for our Smart City people? Technology products came in as a close second. Our people are watching for things like voice-controlled home assistants, TVs and computers – ya know, the expected 2019 Black Friday suspects. We got quite a few varying submissions for this category, so we’re going to narrow it down to three: computer technology, Google Home Mini and vacuums (yes, vacuums because adulting requires one).
First of all, If you’re looking for a computer, tablet or computer software, Microsoft is shaving up to $500 off all their products, sitewide starting November 28! Whether you’re a committed *whispers* Apple, Samsung or Google fan, this is worth taking a look at! If you’re looking for a travel-size computer under $200, check out this Asus Chromebook on Amazon!
Not to derail from our narrowed technological list of three, but while we were on Good Housekeeping’s Pre-Black Friday and Cyber Monday blog, we came across deals for Muse, “technologically enhanced mediation.” This little headband doohickey translates your mental activity into sounds of weather to help you find “focused calm.” Intrigued? We were, too! If meditation is your thing, or you want it to be, the Muse headband is on sale, too.
Up next: the Google Home Mini. We know there are a handful of options when it comes to voice-controlled home assistants, so we’re focusing on the one our people prefer. If this is your jam, too, make your way to Target on Black Friday to save $30 and get your very own Google Home Mini for less than $20! Did the thought of Target on Black Friday just make you hard-shutter? Hit up Best Buy online, get your Google Home Mini for $25 and stay home!
Now… for vacuums. There are so many options, both robot and upright, so we’ll give you a deal for one of each! We all know Roomba is the most popular brand when it comes to robot vacuums. The thing memorizes your home layout, for Pete’s sake! We actually found the best variety of deals for these on Good Housekeeping’s website. They’ve got every deal listed, from Walmart to Wayfair, to Amazon; it’s all there! When it comes to upright vacuum deals this Black Friday, search no further than the BISSELL Featherweight Lightweight Stick Vacuum! It’s a beast on low-pile carpets and hard surfaces and converts into a handheld. Plus, you can get it at Bed Bath & Beyond for less than $30. That’s a deal if we’ve ever seen one!
For the love of pets
This category is short and sweet – the Furbo. This fabulous pet-watching, treat-tossing, bark-alerting device is on sale for less than $200 on Amazon, saving you about $50. If you and your fur baby live in an apartment, The Furbo is a great way to keep them stimulated while you’re at work or happy hour. We’ve seen prices for Furbos dip even lower, but you’ve got to be on the lookout each day because those are typically flash-sales.
If your fur baby meows or has feathers, check out Chewy to peruse more than one thousand holiday pet deals!
For the love of beauty and household items
If you’ve been keeping up with the Smart City Work Diaries, you’ve already been virtually introduced to Conner. If you read his work diary, you know he rates his curly hair based on levels (and if you have curly hair, you can probably relate). The secret to getting that level one curly hair day? A good hairdryer and diffuser! We’ve seen prices for hairdryer bundles as low as $20 at Target, and $22 at Kohl’s, but the best, best deal we found was on Amazon for $17!
Another thing to stock up on if you’re out shopping on Black Friday is household items…like Philips Hue Bulbs! This is smart lighting made simple. Choose from warm to cool white light, or add color (more than 16 million, to be exact) to any room in your apartment and control the ambiance from a Bluetooth remote. Get two white and color bulbs from Best Buy for under $90, plus they do price matching! Some bulb options require a Hue Hub, or you can invest in a starter kit, comprised of two color-changing bulbs and the Hue Hub on Amazon for under $115. Very niche, very high-tech, very holiday-ready, which takes us to our next and final category.
For the love of the holidays (and holiday parties)
Halloween has come and gone and we’re on the edge of Thanksgiving, so let’s jump right in, shall we? Hello, $24 6-foot unlit artificial Christmas tree! This is perfect for apartments and is 40 percent off at Target right now! If you’re looking to get lit during the holidays, check out the pre-lit artificial tree at Target for $36! You can even find 20 feet of pre-lit garland at Bed Bath & Beyond for less than $24 if you’re a BEYOND+ member!
On the flip, if you’re attending a few holiday parties this year and want to come equipped with a cute holiday gift for the host that won’t break the bank, Pier 1 is your place!
Maybe Black Friday is your opportunity to walk off all the turkey and delicious sides you ate on Thanksgiving, or maybe it’s the one day out of the year that you avoid malls and shopping centers at all costs and bunker down for Cyber Monday deals. At any rate, we wish everyone a very happy holiday season, filled with every kind of deal, apartment or otherwise!
Disclaimer: Smart City Locating is in no way associated, sponsored or endorsed by any of the brands listed above.
