Major seasonal sales reward preparation far more than luck - shoppers who plan ahead consistently get better deals than those who show up on the day and browse without a strategy.
Watching the price of items you actually want in the weeks leading up to a big sale reveals whether the "sale price" is a genuine discount or simply the item's normal price relabeled with a sale tag.
A pre-made list with a spending cap prevents the impulse purchases that big sales are specifically designed to encourage - deciding what you actually need before browsing keeps the sale's urgency from driving unplanned spending.
The best deals on genuinely popular items tend to sell out within the first hour or two of a major sale - for anything specific and in-demand, shopping right at the sale's opening matters more than waiting for a better moment.