You may be thinking Black Friday has deals in every department of the stores you are shopping at, but this is not necessarily true. There are some things that are not on the best sale they will be all year and stores do this on purpose to try to draw you in, hoping you will take the bait.
Another tactic stores use to get you to spend more is to have door buster deals on big ticket items to get you to their stores, hoping you will just tire of the crowds and standing in line and spend full price on other items in the stores that are typically not marked down.
Here are 8 things to not buy on Black Friday:
1. Christmas decorations. The store hopes you will just pick up a few of these while you are there and getting into the holiday spirit. Don’t be fooled. They will be marked down before the season ends, typically 2 weeks before Christmas and indefinitely marked up to 90% off after Christmas.
2. Winter gear. Just like holiday decorations, stores hope you have been cold from standing out in a line at the wee hours that you will be inspired to buy these items. Typically, during the first week of December, stores will mark these down by 20-30%. Additionally, BEFORE Thanksgiving is a great time to find good deals on all your winter gear. If you have what you need this year, but may need some for next year, consider shopping for these around March.
3. Game consoles. You will not find good deals on these as they are in high demand and therefore marked up. You may be able to snag an “OK” deal if you get it bundled with a game, accessory or gift card with purchase, however.
4. Watches. Sales for these usually happen in the spring and summer and buying them on Black Friday will not yield great deals because jewelry and watch sales are high during this time when people feel the nudge to buy it since it is a splurge item.
5. Clothing. While you may be able to get good deals on staples like pajamas or socks (who doesn’t love socks for Christmas?!), you will not get the biggest discounts of the year. These come at the end of the season and can be found at 75-90% off if you know when to look.
6. Anything dated for 2014. This includes calendars, and planners. Stuff like this is at it’s highest price of the year. Instead, wait a month or even two and find them at 50-75% in January and February. Most calendars and planners come with a month or two into the new year anyway, so you can probably hold off until then to purchase.
7. Holiday perishable foods. I know, it’s hard not to warm up with a cup of egg nog after a cold morning of standing in lines at 3 am, but egg nog, cookies and other perishable holiday items will be at full price on Black Friday. Wait until just before Christmas or just after. Nothing says you can’t eat Santa cookies on December 26th.
8. HDTVs. These are not at the door busting sales you will typically enjoy for lower end or basic TVs. HDTVs do not go on sale until January or February when the Super Bowl parties start. Skip the temptation to save $20, and wait until next month, when you can often save hundreds.
What did we overlook? What else do you recommend skipping on Black Friday?
Dawn @ WithaSideofThriftiness says
Great tips!! Thank you for all the info 🙂