Astro Bug

WAYNE, N.J. - AstroBug -- Black Friday falls on Friday, Nov. 27, this year, and many stores have already started their holiday sales. A newly launched website, DealTeacher, aims to help shoppers judge whether a sale price is actually low. It grades tech and home deals from A to F and gives each one a single verdict: Buy now, Wait, or Skip.
Each grade weighs three factors: the product's own recorded price history, what other stores charge for the same item, and who is selling it. A discount measured against an inflated "was" price earns no credit. The site covers Tech, Home & Outdoor Power, Home & Tools, and Appliances. Deals that earn a D or F stay public on a dedicated Detention page, and past grades remain visible after a deal ends.
Stores cannot pay for grades. DealTeacher earns commissions on some purchases made through its links, and it states that commissions never change a grade.

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"A big percent-off tag doesn't tell you whether that price is actually low," said John, founder of DealTeacher. "We check the price history and the other stores first, then give the deal a grade. Sometimes the honest answer is to wait."
For Black Friday, DealTeacher grades items from store ads that it can match to its own price records. As of Oct. 27, it had graded 27 of the 274 items listed in Costco's Black Friday ad. Best Buy, Lowe's, Target, The Home Depot and Walmart had announced sale dates but not item-level ads, and the site offers a one-time email alert for when each of those ads is released. The Black Friday ad grades are at http://dealteacher.com/black-friday/ads/
Other tools on the site:
- A link checker that shows whether a pasted deal has already been graded, with no email required.
- "Ask the DealTeacher," which gives a quick take on a product link and price. A quick take requires an email address, and Ask does not yet cover every store.
- A 12-month Buy or Wait calendar.
- Grade alerts that email a shopper when a chosen product or category reaches the grade they pick, after one confirmation email.
- An optional daily email, the Daily Lesson, sent at 7 a.m. ET.
The site is free to use in any web browser, with no app or account required. Shoppers can check a deal's grade at http://dealteacher.com/should-i-buy/