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✉️  a holiday shopping tip from CNN's experts

Holiday shopping season has begun, and CNN's in-house shopping experts say that if you haven't started yet, you're late.  

 

"This year we're seeing really good sales from the likes of Walmart, Target, Chewy. ... So many retailers are dropping early really good deals," Scott Simone, deputy editor of CNN Underscored, told us. 

 

He explained that in most years, retailers release modest deals in early November, holding their best offers until the day after Thanksgiving. 

 

"But this year we're seeing early Black Friday deals include steep discounts you normally wouldn't see until actual Black Friday. … Especially with the shortages and delayed shipments, if you want stuff under the tree, you should start early. You're not really going to miss out on good deals this year," said Simone.  

 

CNN Underscored is a shopping guide powered by a team of writers and editors who test and review everyday products, helping readers make smart purchases. Underscored is separate from the news division and receives revenue when you make a purchase by clicking from its reviews. 

 

Simone says his team is experiencing long shipping delays, even for basic items, due to supply chain issues. Simone noted that Underscored either buys items to review or receives loaners, which it sends back to the companies afterward or donates. 

 

"Some manufacturers are telling us they don't have units to send us to review because they're just out of inventory," said Simone. "Everything from laptops and gaming systems to coffee machines and stand mixers — they're all either delayed or hard to come by."

 

CNN launched the Underscored division in 2017 with just a two-person team. It has since grown to dozens of staff members, ranging from product testers to videographers to social media strategists. They tests hundreds of products every month. 

 

"Most people likely expect us to be testing these products in a controlled lab," said Simone. "But we actually put the products through the wringer in our everyday lives to best mirror how typical consumers would use them."

 

Many of their tests are documented on Underscored's social media accounts, including TikTok.

"We go all-in with our product tests," said Hayley Saltzman, CNN Underscored's head of social media. "Our TikTok strategist drank dirt water through a LifeStraw to showcase that it really does filter the water. … [She also] dumped a glass of water on her face – that was all in effort to test waterproof makeup. Our lifestyle editor was testing rain jackets, and we have a great video of him jumping in the shower with a rain jacket on, because it wasn't raining that day and we had to test." 

 

Underscored officially launched its TikTok presence last January. Saltzman says the platform has allowed them to connect with viewers in new and creative ways. 

 

"We really do care about fostering that two-way conversation with our followers," said Saltzman. "We have someone responding directly to all of those commenters. We really want to hear from our audience."

 

One of Underscored's biggest constraints is finding enough space to test larger products and appliances. 

 

"The biggest thing we've tested so far is stationary bikes. Like Pelotons," said Simone. "We had our writer, through the course of six to seven months, test out seven of them. Their basement was just filled with stationary bikes side by side. It was a pretty funny visual." 

 

But they hope space won't be a constraint much longer. Simone says Underscored is looking for warehouse space to use as a testing facility, which will allow them to review more products, including large appliances. 

 

"A lot of us live in New York City apartments, so we can't just switch out our refrigerators every week. It'll give us a little more bandwidth to test those big-ticket items," said Simone. 

 

When asked what product they've reviewed and now can't live without, both Saltzman and Simone agreed: the Swedish dishcloth. 

 

"It's a huge hit with all of our Underscored readers," said Saltzman. "It's a sustainable, reusable dishcloth that's very absorbent. It will make you never want to use a paper towel again." 

 

For more from CNN Underscored, sign up for the free newsletter and follow on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter. 

🗓️  mark your calendars

🎧 Listen: Go behind the scenes with royal biographer Andrew Morton for an inside look at Princess Diana's first lunch with Camilla Parker Bowles on this week's episode of CNN's "When Diana Met..." podcast.

 

💻 Watch: "CNN Newsroom" anchor Alisyn Camerota writes every day to relieve stress. But you don't need to be a writer to try it yourself. Start with her three simple tips. 

 

🗳️ Vote: CNN is honoring 10 men and women who have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place. One will become the CNN Hero of the Year, revealed in a special live event on Sunday, December 12. Vote for your favorite (or favorites) for CNN Hero of the Year, now through December 7.

✍️  talk to us

We love hearing what you think of this newsletter. While we can't respond to every message, we read them all. Send us a note at insidecnn@cnn.com. 

- Written and edited by Beryl Adcock, Tricia Escobedo, Melissa Mahtani and Jessica Sooknanan