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It’s easy to focus on Halloween this time of year as spooky treats and decor dominate store windows, ads on social media and commercials. But retail experts say smart shoppers are thinking

further ahead. “October is a great time to start buying gifts for the winter holidays,” says shopping expert Andrea Woroch. “October really marks the beginning of the holiday shopping

season.” Though they may not call them “holiday sales,” many big-box retailers host October promotional events with pricing that can rival their Black Friday deals. These sales include: *

OCT. 6-12: Target Circle Week * OCT. 8-9: Amazon Prime Big Deal Days * OCT. 8-9: Best Buy’s 48-hour Flash Sale (the electronic retailer will hold additional sales on OCT. 21 and OCT. 25-28)

* OCT. 8-13: Walmart Holiday Deals Julie Ramhold, senior staff writer and consumer analyst at DealNews, suggests paying close attention to October sales of items that may be hot sellers this

holiday season. If retailers drop prices for Black Friday, there’s a chance inventory for popular products could sell out. Note that the best deals on larger electronics, such as

televisions and gaming consoles, typically hit closer to Black Friday, so it’s best to wait on those items. October features sales on giftable items such as small kitchen appliances, lawn

equipment and children’s clothing. Those aren’t the only categories that go on sale. Read on for a roundup of October’s deals. SMALL HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES Shoppers can pick up name-brand

kitchen gadgets and small appliances including mixers, air fryers and toasters. You’ll also see sales on tech-forward home products such as robot vacuums and smart doorbells. WHERE TO LOOK

FOR DEALS: Best Buy, Walmart, Target POTENTIAL SAVINGS: 25 to 30 percent off AMAZON-BRANDED GOODS Amazon’s Prime events typically feature discounts on a wide variety of products, but experts

say Amazon-branded items tend to see the largest markdowns, especially on electronics such as Amazon Fire television sets, Kindles and Echo devices. WHERE TO LOOK FOR DEALS: Amazon

POTENTIAL SAVINGS: 50 percent off CHILDREN’S CLOTHING Now that back-to-school season has officially passed, retailers are eager to clear the shelves to make room for winter clothing going

into the colder months. “We have found that October is a great time for deals on kids’ clothing and on things like sweaters, jeans, hoodies and sneakers,” says Mackenzie Shand, shopping

expert at RetailMeNot. You may find the biggest savings at brick-and-mortar shops owned by independent merchants, since these sellers often don’t have a warehouse to store unsold inventory

for next year, says Jeanette Pavini, savings expert and author of _The Joy of Saving_. WHERE TO LOOK FOR DEALS: Old Navy, Kohl’s, local stores, POTENTIAL SAVINGS: 50 percent or more