Holiday shopping appears to be on the way as retailers begin to prepare their respective Black Friday promotions. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, most retail stores will likely have alternatives in place to stop overcrowding and prevent transmissions. It seems that most of this year's purchases will come from online transactions. Therefore, consumers should regularly check for deals that might have been announced ahead of time. We have some that were recently posted that folks in the United Kingdom might want to check out.

For those who are planning to buy anything related to tech this year, Sony and Microsoft will launch their respective next-generation consoles next week. However, shoppers should not expect to see these discounted in time for Black Friday. In fact, it will be difficult to get a hold of any of these given the huge demand and production issues the manufacturers are facing due to the health crisis.

Nevertheless, there might be some retailers that will have some form of tie-ins or deals that would include the PS5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S. Radio Times shares several that are on sale early before Black Friday 2020 kicks off a few weeks from now.

While there is a mix of items available, this article will focus on gadgets, gaming, and gear related to tech. Amazon's Thanksgiving 2020 early sale is currently live and will end on Nov. 19. Furthermore, it appears to have a substantial catalogue available already.

  • Since the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S will be in short supply, Nintendo's hybrid system appears to be a gear alternative until the inventories of the former begin to catch up. Depending on the Switch bundle you want, Amazon offers up to £10 off the sticker price.
  • For personal hygiene, the Oral-B iO8 Black Ultimate Clean electric toothbrush is currently enjoying a 40 percent discount which takes it down from £449.99 to £268.99. The kit even includes a magnetic carrying pouch to make transport convenient.
  • With the release of Samsung's Galaxy Watch 3, the outgoing model just slashed its price from £199 to £169. The Galaxy Watch Active sports a 40 mm case and boasts a collection of health-monitoring features such as heart rate, blood pressure, SpO2 (blood oxygen), activities, and sleep. It is compatible with Android and iOS operating systems.
  • If are searching for something in the market for a productivity platform that can double as a device for entertainment as well, Amazon currently has a premium slate on sale. The 256 GB second-generation iPad Pro 11-inch Wi-Fi has been marked down to £821.20 from £869. Pair it with the Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard and it turns into a premium hybrid 2-in-1 laptop.

These are just a few of the notable Black Friday 2020 items that can be bought from Amazon. If what you need was not listed, just visit the website to browse through their massive inventory of products on sale. It is likely that more will be added in the coming days as well.

Amazon's nearly 20,000 workers get Covid-19
E-commerce giant Amazon says that its 1.37 million frontline workers, including those at its Whole Foods Market grocery stores, have a lower virus infection rate than expected. Photo: AFP / Emmanuel DUNAND