Black Friday Freebies For Shoppers Venturing Into Holiday Crowds

FLORIDA — The BlackFriday.com team has searched high and low to bring you the best Black Friday freebies of 2022. From gift cards and tote bags to free pictures with Santa, here are the best freebies:

Bass Pro Shops

• Freebie: Free photo with Santa at Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s.
• How to get it: Make a reservation. Learn more about how to make a reservation (and other safety precautions Bass Pro and Cabela's are taking for Santa's Wonderland this year).

Bed Bath & Beyond

• Freebie: Free $25 bonus gift card from Bed Bath and Beyond.
• How to get it: Spend $125 on UGG products, and you'll receive a $25 gift card. This deal is valid through Nov. 26.

Belk

• Freebie: In-store shoppers will receive a free gift card in values ranging from $5 to $250. At every store, there will be more than 175 gift card winners per day.
• How to get it: On Black Friday, Nov. 25, and on Saturday, Nov. 26, at 8 a.m., in-store shoppers at Belk will receive gift cards.

Kohl's

• Freebie: $15 in Kohl’s Cash for every $50 spent, plus score extra Kohl's Cash on certain purchases during the Kohl’s sale.
• How to get it: Spend at least $50 on select purchases or buy an item eligible for Kohl's Cash in the Kohl's Black Friday sale.

Macy's

• Freebie: Free $100 gift card to Macy's.
• How to get it: Macy's shoppers who buy select luxury mattresses from Hotel Collection, Stearns & Foster, and King Koil can receive a free gift card with their purchase.
• Bonus freebie: Free tote bag, weekend bag or shower gel.
• How to get it: Macy's shoppers who buy select large fragrances can receive a free gift with their purchase.

Target

• Freebie: Free gift cards from Target.
• How to get it: You'll be given the gift card at checkout when you make select purchases.

With 28 percent of American consumers planning to spend less during the 2022 holiday season relative to 2021, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2022’s Best Things to Buy on Black Friday.

WalletHub determined that 27 percent of items offer no savings compared with their pre-Black Friday prices. To find out whether shoppers are really getting the best deals, WalletHub compared the “Pre-Black Friday Price” against the actual Black Friday price of a broad selection of items. In doing so, WalletHub identified the offers that are truly worth the hassle of partaking in the year’s biggest shopping craze.

Top 10 Deals (Additional Discount for Waiting Until Black Friday)

1. Osaki TITAN Pro 8500 Massage Chair ($1,156)

2. LG gram 17" Evo Laptop ($316)

3. Beautyrest 12" King Size Mattress ($399)

4. Yeyian Gaming Desktop Kunai X21 ($300)

5. Lenovo ThinkStation P340 ($478)

6. Trinity 6-Pc. Garage Storage System ($500)

7. Therabody RecoveryAir Compression System ($399)

8. Samsung 28.2 cu. Ft. 3-Door Refrigerator ($351)

9. Pit Boss Navigator 850 Wood Pellet Grill ($409)

10. SanDisk Portable 2TB External USB-C SSD ($310)

Top 3 Product Categories

1. Consumer Packaged Goods (34 percent)
2. Appliances (30 percent)
3. Furniture (29 percent)

Worst 3 Product Categories

7. All Other Product Categories (26 percent)
8. Toys (26 percent)
9. Computers and phones (22 percent)

The following are some highlights from the report: Best Black Friday Retailers (Avg. % Discount)

1. JCPenney (64.71 percent)

2. Belk (64.23 percent)

3. Macy's (53.05 percent)

4. Office Depot and OfficeMax (49.93 percent)

5. Kohl's (44.23 percent)

6. Lenovo (40.67 percent)

7. Target (32.87 percent)

8. Big Lots (32.86 percent)

9. Academy Sports + Outdoors (31.10 percent)

10. The Home Depot (30.90 percent)

Key Stats

• JCPenney has the highest overall discount rate at 64.71 percent, whereas Costco has the lowest at 16.80 percent.
• The overall average discount for Black Friday is 37 percent. Consumers should aim for this discount amount or higher to avoid Black-Friday traps.
• The “Apparel & Accessories” category has one of the biggest shares of discounted items, 21.09 percent of all offers, whereas the “Furniture” category has the smallest at 3.73 percent.

For the full report, click here.