We're experts in savings. Here's what our team buys during Black Friday

One of the biggest perks of being a part of the Coupons.com team is that you develop a gut instinct for seriously good deals. This comes from experience in the field—we have 50 editors with an average of four years in the savings industry—and consistent work with our retailer partners. Not only does that mean that we’re able to bring you the highest quality coupons, codes, and deals, but it also means we’re able to strategically save money ourselves. 

Around Black Friday, our expertise becomes all the more valuable as we monitor early Black Friday sales, cut through the fluff, and find the savings that are the cream of the crop. 

When we find those top-dollar coupon codes or once-a-year discounts, they go straight to our retailer pages (after we verify them, of course). And some of those deals? They get used by our team to bring home the things we’ve been eyeing up but holding out on until the right deal comes along. 

I know this because I asked my teammates about how they approach Black Friday when it comes to their own spending. And whether it was a story of the glory of past Black Friday savings or a plan to find the best deal this year, there was a common thread: We use the Black Friday sales season to make large, one-off purchases. 

Here’s what some of my coworkers I spoke with have bought during Black Fridays gone by or are hoping to buy in this year’s sales. 

How we use Black Friday to save on large purchases

A colleague of mine in our Kuala Lumpur office, Athirah, described herself as a “budget-conscious shopper” as opposed to a “big spender,” and I think this would be a suitable description for the majority of my team. 

So, when I asked about their past and future Black Friday approaches, it wasn’t a huge surprise that nearly all of them have used the season to save on big purchases. 

Tech is often the goal

For Athirah, it was “hitting the jackpot” when she saved 60% on a Samsung monitor for her work-from-home setup during a previous Black Friday sale.

As it turned out, the want to elevate home working wasn’t unique among our team, either. Aina is actually on the hunt for a new monitor this year. She’d like to get a Samsung or Lenovo monitor, so she’s keeping tabs on both brands at different retailers. She may soon be in luck, too. I noticed that Lenovo has already kicked off Black Friday sales with up to 50% off certain products. 

All I can say is that I hope she’s able to score a great deal like Athirah did last year. 

Joining the hunt (past or future) for tech are Danial, Sarah, and Pat. 

Danial is looking to add to his headphone collection this Black Friday, while Sarah is hoping to find a Nintendo Switch 2 on sale. She told me that she’s been watching prices for the new Switch for about two months now. “I'll most definitely have a look at one when Black Friday sales hit,” she said. 

Then, I caught up with Pat, who is also in the market for some new tech. A Ring doorbell is one thing she’s keeping an eye out for, but her real goal this Black Friday is a Hume Health pod. “I really want the Hume Health Body Pod to give me some hard data about where I am in my health and fitness journey,” she told me. “I'd love to get it for 50% off, with maybe another 10% to 25% off, so I'm hoping to find a deal like that around Black Friday.” 

Pat actually curates our Hume Health retailer page, so she really knows how to watch this retailer. 

In fact, she told me that around Halloween, the pod was marked down by about 40%. That had her considering the Hume Body Pod and Hume Band combo, which tallies up to $399 at regular price. “$400 is a lot of money for me to think about spending on myself,” she continued, “so I'm hoping I can find a killer deal between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. If I can get closer to $200 or $250 all in, I'll get it!"

Home appliances are a Black Friday favorite, too

The other category that came up time and time again was small appliances for around the house. And it makes sense. So often small appliances are just a little too expensive to justify any day of the week, but not quite pricey enough to take the top spot on your “to buy next” list. 

I, for one, am firmly with my teammates looking to buy something for around the house. I’ve got three things I’m watching this Black Friday:

1. Shark StainStriker spot cleaner

2. Karcher SC 3 EasyFix steam cleaner 

3. Ninja Crispi air fryer

Personally, I haven’t yet made my decision on what I’ll take the plunge on. But I’ve started watching sales and hope that as Black Friday gets closer, I find a deal that makes my decision easy. 

I’m also no stranger to buying a household appliance on Black Friday. A few years ago, I bought my KitchenAid stand mixer for 25% off. And I’m not the only one on our team to have looked for KitchenAid deals on Black Friday. Last year, Sabina got a KitchenAid that was originally $649 for $410 after combining a $20 off coupon with Black Friday sales. “My mom's birthday is in December,” she said, “so she always asks for a pricey gift for me and my siblings to split.”

In 2024, Sabina and her siblings got her mom a Dyson Airwrap after she found it for $200 off, too. She said that this year, her mom hasn’t made any requests yet. But if she doesn’t, Sabina will be combining her savings expertise with the sales. 

Further demonstrating that this time of year can be a good time to invest in something for the kitchen is another find that Athirah told me about. In addition to her Samsung monitor, she once got 50% off a new Philips coffee machine during Black Friday.

And I, for one, hope to hear good news from Jasmeen, who’s on the hunt for a new microwave to replace her old one this year. “I haven’t decided on a specific model yet,” she told me, “so I’ll compare deals from Panasonic and Samsung and go with whichever offers the best value.”

Black Friday can be for more than shopping

While a lot of us have used Black Friday as the perfect time to add something physical to our lives, another member of our team was excited to share how she’s saved in a less conventional way in the past. 

Tyesha, one of our Coupons.com team members based in Atlanta, used Black Friday to get money off a night out. “Last year, some of the performing arts theaters in Atlanta had good Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on upcoming performances,” she said. “I got my partner and I tickets to see the opera Turandot at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, and it was Buy One Get One Free.”

She’s hoping to find similar deals this Black Friday. 

Capitalizing on Black Friday in a different way serves as a good reminder that Black Friday has evolved. So, it’s no longer just about in-store shopping or online browsing. If there’s something that you love to do, there’s a chance you could save on it when you shop during Black Friday. 

Does your Black Friday look like ours?

It’s clear that for our team, Black Friday is much more about those larger purchases that you don’t make all that often. Whether it’s practical, like Jasmeen’s plan to buy a new microwave, a bit of fun like Tyesha’s, or more of a treat-yourself (or someone you love) moment, like Pat or Sabina, Black Friday can help you save a significant amount while you do it. 

In fact, the kinds of savings we can get this time of year are often what push us to hit the “buy now” button. 

So what are you waiting for Black Friday to buy this year?

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