UPDATE: Nov. 6, 2023, 10:30 a.m. EST The new Best Buy Drops tab on the Best Buy app gives you a head’s up about upcoming new product drops, limited edition releases, and major discounts on high-profile items ahead of the holidays. This post has been updated to track the products dropping in the coming week.
When it comes to shopping, a scarcity mindset is just as convincing as that one friend who always enables you to buy something you don’t need. It’s why there’s often a timer breathing down your neck from the corner of the screen during a sitewide sale. It’s why Amazon’s invite-only Prime Day deals popped off (and why they’ll likely be back for Black Friday). It’s probably why Best Buy announced Best Buy Drops right before we hit the full-blown holiday shopping season — and we’re totally falling for it.
Best Buy unveils its Black Friday plans: Early access to deals starts right before Halloween
Best Buy Drops is a new shopping hack dedicated to giving shoppers a heads-up about upcoming high-profile items and deals in categories like gaming, smartwatches, toys, and more dropping at Best Buy in the next week. As long as you have the Best Buy mobile app, you can preview what’s coming on what day so that you’re ready to click “add to cart” when the item or deal goes live.
If a drop is currently live while you’re on the app, a status bar showing the percentage of inventory that has been claimed can give an idea of how fast you need to act. Once inventory for a certain drop is gone, it’s gone.
Drops can include a huge price slash on a popular item or availability of product that wasn’t up for grabs before.
Credit: Screenshot / Mashable
The Drops tab also keeps a list of past drops, which have included a limited-edition PlayStation 5 Marvel’s Spider-Man bundle, Pokémon Squishmallows, a super cheap 50-inch QLED TV, and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Even if you missed these, you at least have an idea of what similar items could pop up in the coming weeks. To look ahead, check the upcoming tab.
For extra cushion, you can opt-in to Drop Alerts for an extra reminder right before the drop of a product you care about goes live. Joining My Best Buy Plus or My Best Buy Total will unlock even better discounts on drops than what the general public is getting.
What’s dropping at Best Buy Nov. 8 through Nov. 8
Best Buy is only revealing the names of the upcoming products — not their actual drop prices — in the drop preview tab, so any prices listed below are the current price of the said product as it is on Best Buy’s site pre-drop. Drops go live around 11 a.m. ET on the specified day (usually a string of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in any given week), and inventory is typically fully claimed by 5 p.m. that day.
Dropping: Nov. 8
Put some respect on the names of the original 151 Pokémon with this Trading card game expansion pack. The booster bundle includes six booster packs from TCG: Scarlet and Violet, including Venusaur EX, Charizard EX, and Blastoise EX special cards, plus the possibility of Mew EW floating around.
This expansion pack is currently sold out at Best Buy but was listed for $26.94, so we expect it to be up for grabs for under $20 when its stock is revived during the drop.
Dropping: Nov. 9
Drones have become a huge Black Friday item over the past few years. Best Buy’s DJI drone drop could make your decision a lot easier, now that this already-sub $1,000 drone should be getting several hundred dollars cheaper.
The foldable DJI Mini 3 Pro weighs just over half a pound and can fit in the palm of your hand — small enough to not require registration in most countries. Footage wise, the Mini 3 Pro can shoot 4K video and 48MP RAW photos, with true vertical shooting and a FocusTrack feature to lock in on subjects you’re eyeing. But the real star of this bundle is the built-in screen on the remote control. If you’ve been using your phone screen to operate your current drone this whole time, this will be a game changer.
Dropping: Nov. 10
From Pokémon cards to a drone to parenting tech? OK, Drops, we see your range.
The same company behind the ultra-giftable Embar smart mug also make a self-warming smart baby bottle system. With it, milk or formula can be warmed at the touch of the button — especially clutch on the go when you don’t have access to a microwave. Multiple sensors throughout the bottle ensure that temperature is just right to preserve nutrients without any hot spots. Other sensors track each feeding, offering the option to log weights or time breastfeeding sessions.