Your Black Friday cheat sheet: how to find the deals and duds

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Holiday shoppers at the Citadel Outlets in Los Angeles, Calif., on Black Friday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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People shop Citadel Outlets in Los Angeles on Black Friday.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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A holiday shopper clutches an UGG bag at Citadel Outlets in Los Angeles on Black Friday.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Ivet Castrejon of Los Angeles, with son Jared Castrejon, 4, takes a break while shopping at Citadel Outlets on Black Friday.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Holiday shoppers shop the stores at Citadel Outlets in Los Angeles on Black Friday.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Large crowds of shoppers navigate their way through South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa on Black Friday.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Large crowds of shoppers navigate their way through South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa on Black Friday.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Ayla Shahbander, 3, left, and father Bill Shahbander of Irvine wait patiently for his wife as she shops for shoes at Macy’s in South Coast Plaza on Friday.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Taking a break, Tina Cole, 34, of Los Angeles, says she “comes every year and loves it.” She is shopping in the busy shoe section at Macy’s in South Coast Plaza on Friday.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Brian Pham, 13, left, and Brandon Pham, 8, of Santa Ana quietly keep themselves occupied at Macy’s in South Coast Plaza on Friday.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Mandy Zhao, 20, left, of Irvine, Mia Hou, 19, center, of Irvine, and Keer Xu of San Diego woke up at 2 a.m. Friday. Now they are exhausted at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Zoey Dao, 21 months, of Mission Viejo enjoys the carousel at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Jesse Laier, left, of Long Beach and Melinda Telford, of Fountain Valley take a break from shopping at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.

(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Eddy Gonzalez of Los Angeles, shown with Natalie Lopez, left, of Los Angeles, shops on Thanksgiving Day at Best Buy at Westfield Culver City.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Steven Nunez, of Santa Monica, along with other holiday shoppers wait in line to purchase their electronics on Thanksgiving Day at Best Buy at Westfield Culver City.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Holiday shoppers on Thanksgiving Day enter Best Buy at Westfield Culver City, in Culver City.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Holiday shoppers haul their televisions to their car on Thanksgiving Day at Best Buy at Westfield Culver City.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Jose Calderon of South Pasadena, center, is one of the first shoppers to enter Target for Thanksgiving shopping deals in Eagle Rock.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Customers crowd into the electronics department at Target for Thanksgiving shopping deals in Eagle Rock.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Flor Gomez and son Mark Nunez shop for the holidays on Thanksgiving Day at JCPenney at Westfield Culver City.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Yocelyne Isidoro and brother Eric walk out with new suitcases on Thanksgiving Day at JCPenney at Westfield Culver City.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Holiday shoppers look for deals on Thanksgiving Day at JCPenney at Westfield Culver City.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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A holiday shopper waits in line outside JCPenney on Thanksgiving Day at Westfield Culver City.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Holiday shopping attracted a large crowd outside J.C. Penney on Thanksgiving Day at Westfield Culver City.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Holiday shopping attracted a large crowd outside J.C. Penney on Thanksgiving Day at Westfield Culver City.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

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Early Black Friday shoppers load a big-screen TV into their car after purchasing it at the Best Buy in Fairfax, Va.

(Paul J. Richards / AFP / Getty Images)

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The store manager at a Best Buy gives his sales team a pep talk moments before opening the doors to early Black Friday shoppers in Fairfax, Va.

(Paul J. Richards / AFP / Getty Images)

By Courtney Jespersen

Nov. 24, 2016 5 AM PT

You’ve made your list, you’ve got your comfiest shoes on and you’ve honed your bargain-hunting skills. You’re readier than ever to conquer the stores on Black Friday.

But not everything will be business as usual the day after Thanksgiving, as retailer policies will greet consumers with a mixture of shiny gifts and lumps of coal. Here’s what you should know about the shopping rules that have changed ahead of Nov. 25.

Coal: Restricted price matching

Price matching is a valuable money-saving technique for shoppers. In price matching, store customers can show proof of a lower price from a competitor and ask the store to meet or beat that deal.

But price matching probably won’t be there to bail you out of bad deals this Black Friday. Many major retailers make their policies exempt during the annual shopping extravaganza. Toys R Us says it doesn’t match “any competitor’s advertised store or online pricing for Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday.” Target strikes out price matches and adjustments for prices from Thanksgiving Day through the end of the following week. You’ll find similar blackout dates at Best Buy and Staples.

That’s because price matches can be time consuming for retailers, said Sucharita Mulpuru, chief retail strategist for annual commerce industry convention Shoptalk. “And you don’t want to be discounting products even further than they already are, especially if you only have limited units of the product,” Mulpuru added.

So if you won’t be able to price match while you’re standing in the store, compare prices before you shop and head straight to the retailer with the best offer. Apps such as BuyVia and ShopSavvy can make comparing a breeze.

Gift: More free shipping

Here’s a present for you: Free shipping won’t just exist on Black Friday; there will be more of it than usual. That’s welcome news, since 93% of online shoppers surveyed in the National Retail Federation’s annual holiday consumer spending survey said they’ll take advantage of free shipping this holiday season.

A handful of big-box retailers have eliminated their free shipping minimums for Black Friday and throughout the holidays, granting their Internet customers free shipping on everything, regardless of price.

At Best Buy, items ship free through Christmas Eve, and at Target, free standard shipping extends through Jan. 1, 2017. Use free shipping for even your smallest orders, but remember that some exclusions may apply to these promotions; read the fine print.

Coal: Limited coupons

If coupons are your go-to discount method, think again on Black Friday. With deals and discounts so prevalent in the days after Thanksgiving, it’ll be more difficult to stack coupons on top of what you’re already saving.

Last Black Friday, for instance, Macy’s stuffed savings passes within its Black Friday ad with coupons for $10 off purchases of $25 or more or $20 off $50 or more, but the discounts were only good for a limited period and couldn’t be used on door busters or deals of the day.

In 2015, Kohl’s shoppers earned $15 Kohl’s Cash for every $50 spent, but the coupons could be redeemed only during the first week of December. Keep a close eye on coupon restrictions and limitations again this year.

Gift: Longer return periods

Some retailers will have one more treat to offer — extended return policy windows. In case you’re filled with regret after your Black Friday shopping splurge, you’ll have plenty of time to return or exchange your not-so-hot purchases.

Items shipped by Amazon.com from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31 may be returned until Jan. 31 for a full refund, subject to return guidelines. This is much more generous than Amazon’s typical 30-day return period. At Newegg, almost every product bought Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 can be returned for a refund or replacement until Jan. 31.

Sears, too, has made returns easier. Select items purchased Nov. 1 through Dec. 24 — which typically have 30-day return periods — can be returned through the end of January.

Check your favorite store’s return policy for similar extended holiday offerings. These can be found on a retailer’s website.

Courtney Jespersen is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website.

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