Similarly, Black Friday tends to be a madhouse at popular retailers, so it's a day I usually try to stay out of stores. But crowds aren't my only issue with Black Friday. I also don't like the fact that many of the so-called deals you see advertised are nothing but a giant dupe.

Black Friday is still a few weeks away, but that's not stopping big-name brands and retailers from launching their sales events early. Our staff of professional shoppers is already seeing discounts on some of our favorite products across a range of categories,

Typically, the five days beginning Thanksgiving Day and ending Cyber Monday are some of the busiest shopping days of the year.