October is full of surprises in the shopping world. Along with the expected (Halloween and fall merchandise), shoppers might see the very first bits of Black Friday and holiday hype. In fact, we saw some of the first Black Friday deal announcements before Halloween last year.
Plus, this year, Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy have all announced that their first early holiday sales will take place in the first half of October this year.
So, in addition to scouting Halloween candy and fall decor, shoppers should start thinking about October as a time to build their holiday shopping lists.
To help you take full advantage of the best savings, we used our internal discount data to calculate average discounts October shoppers can expect in popular categories.
The 5 Smartest Things to Shop for in October
Ready to get shopping? Our Top 5 buys for October will help you get out ahead of the holiday shopping madness, navigate spooky season and save as much as you can while doing so.
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1. Home & Garden — Craft/DIY (Average Discount: 31% Off)
Fall/Halloween decor and DIY crafts trend big-time in October, thanks to spooky season. And while right after Oct. 31 is the absolute best time to get paintable pumpkins, wreath-making supplies and other Halloween crafting necessities, you’ll still find plenty of deals throughout the month. Crafting stores like Michaels and JOANN are generous with coupons. In fact, we recently spotted a 30% off regular-price items at Michaels.
Even if your home DIY projects aren’t spooky season-related, you can get discounts for DIY yard and home decor projects in October. Keep a close eye on Lowe’s and Home Depot — we usually see a fall-themed sale from both around this time of year.
2. Electronics (Average Discount: 26%)
This category comes with a caveat: If you wait until Black Friday, you’ll likely find even better pricing on electronics, especially TVs and gaming consoles. However, with Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale running Oct. 10 and 11 (and Walmart, Best Buy and Target throwing competing sales of their own around those dates), the front end of October is going to be an electronics sweet spot.
In particular, check out deals on Amazon-owed electronics (smart speakers, tablets and home security devices) during Prime Big Deal Days. Best Buy, meanwhile, is hinting its 48-hour event will offer savings on headphones, laptops and smartwatches. And Walmart has already revealed it’s going to have deals on the Apple Watch and a few TV sets during its Holiday Kickoff Sale Oct. 9-12.
So consider these early sales Round 1 for holiday shopping — and a chance to pick up electronics you’ve been meaning to buy for yourself (or possibly for others as gifts). Then, treat Black Friday as Round 2 and a chance to finish your gift list.
3. Clothing, Casual Apparel (Average Discount: 24% Off)
Don’t get your hopes up for the massive sales we saw last year as retailers powered through their remaining pandemic stock of work-from-home-friendly apparel. But October is still a smart time to shop for casual clothing.
First off, there’s the seasonality factor. At the end of October, retailers will start making the transition from fall clothing to bulkier winter coats and sweaters. That means all that stylish fall stuff we kept telling you to wait on is now the smartest buy you can make. Hit up the sales racks for denim jackets, jeans, lightweight hoodies and transitional tops. You can probably still get some use out of these items this season — and transitional fall garb also works excellently for early spring. Not sure where to shop? Old Navy, Gap and Kohl’s are known for their great selection and generous end-of-season sales.
Plus, remember how Amazon, Target and Walmart are all throwing big sales right on top of each other the first two weeks of October? You’ll find clothing deals during those sales. From Amazon, expect deals from fashion brands that sell in its marketplace, as well as from Amazon-owned brands. From Target, expect up to 40% off select clothing (details are minimal still, but we saw up to 40% off fashion during previous Circle Week sales).
4. Gifts (Average Discount: 24% Off)
Again — Amazon, Target, Walmart and Best Buy (and probably more retailers) will be throwing big sales in early-October. And once that sales flurry ends, you’ve got early Black Friday sales, which usually land in late-October. Retailers have been moving up the starting line to Black Friday shopping inch by inch, week by week over the past several years. The result? Pre-Black Friday sales dropping before any of us are truly ready.
So what will be discounted? While retailers will likely save the most coveted items for Black Friday itself (think gaming bundles, doorbuster TVs and new-model phones), you can expect to see plenty of early Black Friday sales on at least some of the items you’d like to purchase as gifts long before actual Black Friday. In past years, we’ve seen small electronics, jewelry, toys and clothing marked down in these early sales.
So make your gift list NOW and keep a lookout (we sure will be), so that you’re ready for those “Pre Black Friday Sales” and “Black Friday In October” sales. Retailers like Walmart, Amazon Target, Costco and more will likely be dropping all manner of deals to entice early shopping.
5. Toys (Average Discount: 17% Off)
It’s never too early to start shopping for holiday toys — especially if you have your sights set on one of the most popular toys of the year. Toys have a way of selling out during the holiday rush, so getting in early ensures you’ll have your kids’ wish lists wrapped and ready.
Another reason to shop toys in October? Retailers have a tradition of drumming up hype with toy shopping events (with special discounts) in October. Plus, some will launch pre-Black Friday sales during October, and these sales tend to be heavy in toy deals.
We heard it from an expert that retailers don’t want to be overstocked with toys at the end of this season like they were last season. That means, you’re more likely to find early toy deals than last-minute toy deals this year — and might have trouble finding certain toys in stock later in the season.
Honorable Mention: Halloween Stuff
Timing is key here. For the first half of October, Halloween decor will be at its most expensive, but will start going on sale toward the end of the month, dropping to 50% off or more. So don’t shop for giant lawn inflatables, spooky wreaths and other Halloween decor items at the very beginning of the October — that’s when Halloween hype (and prices) will be at their highest. Instead, wait until the last minute (or even Oct. 31 itself) to snap up remaining stock. Retailers will want it out of the way to make way for artificial Christmas trees, so you can expect everything Halloween to be priced low, to get it out the door. Just keep it boxed up and ready for next year — or use it to craft a less-traditional Christmas display (the giant Home Depot skeleton would look fetching in a Santa hat).
Halloween candy, meanwhile, is a strategic Nov. 1 buy (think right after the trick-or-treat rush).
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