I know its like way ahead of time since its only 2024 right now but I am trying to plan for 2026 because thats when I move to Chicago for a new job and I heard the winters there are basically a nightmare. Im coming from Florida so I literally own zero warm clothes like not even a light jacket. Im so confused how people actually find those crazy 70% off deals you see on the news? My logic was maybe I should start bookmarking sites now but then I realized I dont even know which sites are actually good for Black Friday specifically... like is it just Amazon or do places like Nordstrom or Columbia do better ones?

Im really sorry if this is a dumb question but do the sales start at midnight on Friday or do they happen all week long? My budget is like $300 total for a whole winter outfit including a heavy coat and boots so I really need to maximize every penny. I keep seeing people talk about early access and doorbusters and it just makes my head spin honestly. Is there like a specific trick to getting the best price online before things sell out? I was thinking about just checking the big stores but maybe there are secret sites? Just trying to figure out if I should be looking at specific brands or just general department stores for that 2026 season...