But my approach is not airtight, and sometimes my advance work backfires. Like the year I got stuck with a tie-dyed hoodie from a big-bucks brand after my daughter decided she was over the trend. Or the time I bought my husband a new battery case for his smartphone in July, and he updated to a new model in November. Both times, I was way past the refund window. Womp-womp.
This year, I decided to consult the experts ahead of the holiday rush. I talked to CR’s shopping and deals team, a CR market analyst, and a Yale psychology professor, peppering them with questions about the upsides (and downsides) of early holiday shopping: Does it actually save money? Are there strategies to ensure success? And how should looming tariffs inform the approach? Here’s their advice.
