Report Lists Best Stores, Deals For Black Friday

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Thanksgiving means the official start of the holiday shopping season is also here. And if you're looking to get the most bang for your buck this Black Friday, we're here to help.

There's quite a difference in the discounts being offered by the big retail chains, according to WalletHub's report on 2017’s Best Stores for Black Friday. The consumer website warns consumers to look for a 37 percent discount amount or higher to avoid Black-Friday traps.

WalletHub's 2017 cheat sheet shows where shoppers can find the best bargains this coming Friday. The personal finance website ranked 35 of the country's biggest retailers, surveying nearly 10,000 deals being offered on Black Friday. From appliances to video games, the study also listed the stores offering the largest advertised discounts in various product categories.

WalletHub surveyed nearly 10,000 deals from 35 of the biggest U.S. retailers’ 2017 Black Friday ad scans.

In a nutshell:

• Kohl's has the highest overall discount rate at 66.32 percent, whereas Bass Pro Shops has the lowest at 20.83 percent.
• The overall average discount for Black Friday is 37 percent.
• The “Apparel & Accessories” category has the biggest share of discounted items, 28.03 percent of all offers, whereas the “Consumer Packaged Goods” category has the smallest at 1.62 percent.

More details:

• Over 8% of items will be more expensive on Black Friday than they currently are on Amazon.com.
• Books, movies and music will offer the most value on Black Friday 2017 relative to their current prices, while jewelry, apparel and accessories are expected to be the worst deals.

Click here to view the full report, the methodology, and each retailer’s rank in all product categories.

Here are the best discounts from stores in the Hudson Valley:

1. Kohl's (66.32%)
2. JCPenney (66.30%)
3. Sears (50.09%)
4. Macy's (45.58%)

Also listed among the best: WalletHub reports Target's average discount is 36.2% and Dick's Sporting Goods is 35.1%.

The overall average discount from retailers for Black Friday is 37 percent, down from 39 percent last year, according to WalletHub. Budget-conscious shoppers should target that as a threshold in order to avoid consumer traps.

So which stores have the best deals?

Department stores Kohl's and JCPenney have the biggest discounts available on Black Friday. Both major chains are offering an average discount of 66.3 percent, according to WalletHub.

The study found that Kohl's has the best deals on jewelry, with discounts as high as 77 percent, while JCPenney is the best place for deals on consumer packaged goods, with discounts as high as 61 percent. Kohl's also ranked third for furniture deals and fourth for deals on toys. JCPenney came in third place for deals on apparel and accessories, as well as deals on computers and phones, fourth in jewelry and fifth in toys.

Find Kohl's all around the Hudson Valley, including Bedford Hills, Brewster, Cortlandt, Middletown, Nanuet, Newburgh; Port Chester, Wappingers Falls, Woodbury and Yonkers.

JCPenney has stores in Middletown and Poughkeepsie.

Sears is still open in Jefferson Valley, Nanuet, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, White Plains and Yonkers.

Macy's is in Jefferson Valley, Nanuet, West Nyack, White Plains and Yonkers.

By Kristina Houck, Patch Staff. Patch Editor Lanning Taliaferro contributed to this report.

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