Black Friday, Cyber Monday — where are the deals? Find out why things are changing

Is Black Friday still the official start of the holiday shopping season? Surging inflation that has taken a toll on household budgets, and the Black Friday shopping bonanza comes as Americans have been delaying paying full-price and only buying on sale as they get whacked with higher interest rates, higher food bills and an uncertain economy.

Even if retailers have a strong opening, analysts expect a dramatic slowdown in sales for the season compared to a year ago.

Shoppers this year have continued the trend of checking off their lists well before the holidays, but that doesn’t mean people won’t be out looking for deals on Black Friday in a year when many items cost more.

From Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, an estimated 166.3 million people are expected to shop, according to an annual survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. For Black Friday, 114.9 million are planning to spend.

That’s even with 60% of shoppers having started on their lists by early November.

“While consumers continue to save the bulk of their holiday shopping for later in November and December, some of that spending has shifted into October,” said Phil Rist, Prosper executive vice president of strategy, in a news release. “This year, 18% of holiday shoppers have completed at least half of their holiday shopping. While this is on par with last year, it is up from only 11% a decade ago.”

Consumers holding out for big deals — and some much-needed relief from soaring costs on just about everything — may be disappointed as they head into the busiest shopping season of the year.

While retailers are advertising sales of 30%, 50% and 70% off everything from TVs to gadgets, many items will still cost more than they did last year because of inflation and finding a true bargain may prove to be a challenge.

“It’s just a weird time for everybody to figure out what is the right price, and what is the real price,” said Nikki Baird, vice president of strategy of Aptos, a retail technology firm. “Consumers are really bad at discount math, and retailers are fully aware of it and do everything they can to take advantage of it.”

The Monday following Thanksgiving, known as Cyber Monday, has historically been a one-day, online-exclusive sale event. But now, as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and other holiday season sales increasingly expand and blend into one another, it’s becoming more difficult to resist the constant pressure to shop.

A solid strategy can help you make the most of Cyber Monday without busting your budget. Here’s what to do.