News 12's Elizabeth Hashagen was joined by Octavio Blanco, from Consumer Reports Money and Technology, to discuss holiday shopping.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are now over, so are the best deals over too?

Total spending on Black Friday, both in stores and online, fell slightly from a year ago - the first decline on record - in part because holiday shoppers started their shopping earlier in face of supply chain setbacks and shipping delays.

Some of the biggest retailers kicked off their holiday sales weeks earlier than usual this year. And 65% of consumers started preparing for the holidays by early October, with one-third having already purchased a seasonal gift.

Nearly 1 out of 4 shoppers planned to purchase gifts and other holiday items from a local or small business, according to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation.

As shoppers spread out their holiday purchases amid ongoing concerns about COVID-19, more consumers are tapping so-called "buy now, pay later" services. Yet studies show installment payments encourage consumers to spend more than they can afford. As many as 56% of shoppers have made a purchase with "buy now, pay later" services they couldn't pay off, according to one recent survey.

And for the first time, about 45% of shoppers plan to use "buy now, pay later," or BNPL, services for their holiday shopping to spread out their expenses, according to a recent report by Cardify, which polled more than 2,000 adults.