CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. – While Black Friday deals have changed over the past few years, shoppers will still make sure they are getting the best deal for their holidays.
People used to wait outside stores for hours after their Thanksgiving meal to try and get the best Black Friday specials possible, but now, that isn’t always the case.
One father and son said they are getting a head start on the deals.
“We’ll probably do a little Black Friday shopping, kind of looking at prices,” said Ryan Smith, a local shopper. “A lot of stores are kind of doing the sales already, so kind of getting a good feel.”
He and his son said while they will most likely come out for Black Friday, but with the early deals, they can get ahead of the crowds.
“We’ll probably be back up for a little bit, but we thought we would beat a little bit of the crowds,” Smith said.
He also said around half of his shopping comes from ordering online.
Katalin Parti, a cyber expert at Virginia Tech, said though many people have moved to online shopping if a deal looks too good to be true, it might be.
“Maybe it’s too good to be true,” said Parti. “Stay away from deals which are too good to be true.”
She said during the holidays, scammers are working overtime, so it’s essential to be cautious online and to stay away from any random emails.
“Don’t click on those links because if you click on those links that means the scammers will get what they want exactly,” Parti said.
Parti said cyber attacks can happen to anyone and to monitor your information often during the holidays.
If you are curious as to what stores will be open starting Thanksgiving, you can click here for more information.