The best Black Friday deals are, surprisingly, not on Black Friday. Many retailers, including Amazon, offer deals earlier and earlier, upstaging Black Friday itself. The competition this year is so fierce, stores are innovating new ways to get your dollar.

Research from the past five years proves that the number of deals hit a peak the week before Thanksgiving. For example, the best day to buy toys is the day before Thanksgiving.

The most deals for electronics are offered at the beginning of November.

In-store savings on Black Friday average around 37 percent. But Thanksgiving Day and Saturday offer the same discount.

Online sales are the best on Thanksgiving Day, not Black Friday. The average discount is 24 percent, beating any other day of the holiday season. If you miss that, prices are still around 20 percent off the entire week leading up to Thanksgiving. For the most part, online and in-store prices match.

Make sure you get the best deals by following these five simple steps.

1. Start your Black Friday research early. Online prices are very competitive to those in-store. They provide access to most door busters and some are even some exclusive to online. They have better inventory and offer free shipping. The latest deals are on Dealnews.com, BlackFriday.com, and Bfads.net.
2. Use mobile apps to get alerts on the best deals. Some of the most popular are ShopSavvy, Shopular, and Flipp. You should also go directly to the source, and get mobile alerts from the biggest discounters: Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and Kohl’s.

1. Many stores, such as Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowe’s, allow managers to either match or offer 10 percent below a competitor’s price. Like a used car dealer, they’ve become desperate to capture your sale rather than let you walk out the door. Don’t be afraid to haggle.
2. Another new trend is name-your-own-price, the same strategy used for hotel reservations. Websites such as Greentoe allow you to do the same for home theater equipment, appliances, and even baby strollers.