Black Friday is almost upon us once again.

The day after Thanksgiving in recent years has become something of a shopper's holiday in its own right, with many retail outlets slashing prices and offering once-a-year bargains to kick off the Christmas shopping season.

In 2022 that could be an even bigger deal than usual as holiday shoppers try to offset some of the highest inflation rates since the 1980s by saving money on retail bargains in electronics, toys, clothing items, and a whole range of other consumer products.

Indeed, the website blackfriday.com is predicting the biggest Black Friday crowds in years, in part because most shopping restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic have been lifted. In fact, people, in general, tend to be somewhat less concerned about venturing out to shop in person than they have been since 2019 before the pandemic began.

Then again, big savings or not, some folks won't be venturing out on November 25. The crowds, the lines, and the traffic are common reasons that non-Black Friday shoppers cite for avoiding retail. And some ''Black Friday'' sale items have actually been available for a while now.

Another factor these days is the tendency of many folks to shop online rather than in-person.

So how about you? Do you plan to hit the stores in search of holiday bargains this year?

 

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