9 Ways to Avoid Bogus Black Friday Deals
If everything is on sale, how do you suss out a good price or know if it’s the right time to buy? Our Black Friday expert has inside tips to maximize your holiday savings.
By John Mihaly
If it seems like Black Friday deals are coming in hotter than ever, that’s because they are. Take a look at Best Buy’s Black Friday deals, for example, which started on Oct. 27, nearly a month before the actual Black Friday. Deals are dropping throughout November, enticing us to begin our holiday shopping ASAP lest we miss the sweet savings on must-have items like electronics, appliances, toys, and anything else worth gifting.
The pressure is on. Do you strike early to avoid a deal from selling out? Or do you wait it out, hoping that a better deal is on the way? To find out how to spot an unworthy or even a bogus deal, we spoke with our colleague Kristin McGrath, editor of RetailMeNot’s blog. We wanted to find out how to properly prepare for Black Friday, know if you’re scoring an actual deal or getting caught up in the hype, if there are any products that you should avoid buying during Black Friday sales, and what other times of the year might be better to buy certain products.
1. Research Will Pay Off
First, make a list of everything you want. “The last thing you want to do is wake up on Black Friday, thinking, ‘What should I buy?’ for the first time,” McGrath says.
Then do your research. If you’ve had your eye on a big-ticket item for a while, you’ll know if its price almost never budges and what a good discount looks like. Another reason for research? Some retailers actually inflate the list price in their Black Friday deals to make the sale price look like a discount (shocking, we know).
If you’re late to the Black Friday game, Black Friday ads are a great source of info. You can see what multiple stores are charging for the same product and when those sales will go live online. Just don’t forget to set reminders about the latter.
For real-time product research, use a price history tracker like camelcamelcamel, which keeps tabs on Amazon prices over time on whichever product you enter. “If you see a $50 price drop for an item on Black Friday, but the price history tracker tells you it’s been lower in the past, or hits that price every other week, it’s a less compelling deal,” McGrath says. (We also have a roundup of the top price-comparison apps.)
One thing to remember: If you missed out on a Black Friday deal, your research wasn’t a waste. Deals can and do return (looking at you, Apple AirPods). Keep checking back and sign up for in-stock alerts.
2. Best Is the Enemy of Good
Some shoppers equate a “good deal” with the “best deal.” Say you pull the trigger on a $350 pair of headphones for $199 on Black Friday. If the price falls a few bucks at another retailer, there’s no need to beat yourself up for not having gotten the “best” deal. “If it’s a big-ticket item and you get a better-than-usual discount, you can count that as a win,” McGraths says. “In other words, don’t wait for the price to get ‘better’ once Black Friday sales kick off.”
If you do find a significant discount after you bought those headphones, you’ve got two potential options. First, you could buy the new headphones and return the old ones, if you’re within the return window. Second, some retailers offer a price-match guarantee within a certain period of time. Make that part of your retailer research. That way you can jump on a deal ASAP knowing you’re covered if a better price comes along.
3. Be Wary of Doorbuster Deals on Televisions
Heading into Black Friday, you’re going to see many “doorbuster” deals on televisions. You might not even be looking for a new TV, but how could you not snag one at such a low price? Well, that’s how they get you. “A lot of these televisions are the very cheapest models that aren’t the best quality,” McGrath says. “And they might be a model that’s sold only during Black Friday.”
When it comes to TVs, don’t let price alone be your guide. Do your research in advance and carefully check specs and SKU/model numbers.
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4. But Be Cautiously Optimistic About Doorbuster Deals on Laptops and Desktops
The same goes for laptops and desktops as it does for televisions, according to McGrath. Repeat after us: Check. The. Specs. The advertised doorbusters will be on machines with lower performance and cheaper specs. However, since everything is on sale, you can grab a doorbuster deal and then customize your machine while still getting a steep discount. “Just don’t hit ‘add to cart’ and take it as-is,” McGrath says.
5. Other Products to Avoid on Black Friday
Now we know that many doorbusters can often be a bust, especially on electronics. But there are two other product categories you should try to avoid during Black Friday sales:
clothing and furniture. Sales on clothing will abound through Cyber Monday as well as after Christmas and during New Years. And if you want to buy some new winter wear, always wait until January because retailers will be clearing the way for spring fashions. As for furniture, you’ll have another crack at saving some money during Presidents’ Day sales in February.
6. Old or New, a Deal Is a Deal
Whether it’s a phone, smartwatch, tablet, or any other electronic device, you need to ask yourself, “Do I need to have the newest, latest, greatest model?” If your answer is no, there’s a good chance that last year’s model might be available at a greater discount. (In the case of iPad, aging models are all you get.) “That said, Black Friday is also a great time to find bigger-than-expected discounts on the new stuff, like the latest version of the Apple Watch or fitness trackers,” McGrath says.
7. Limit Your Last-Minute Shopping
If you’re not picky about small electronics, toys, and stocking stuffers, you’ll find some great sales at the very last minute. Super Saturday (the final Saturday before Christmas) often features discounts on giftable electronics, like fitness trackers and smart home speakers, for example. “But don’t play this game with really popular items or something you absolutely must have in time to give as a gift,” McGrath says.
8. Black Friday Isn’t the Only Time to Get a Good Deal
Heading into Black Friday, retailers big and small want you to feed into the frenzy, forgo basic logic, and give you a serious case of FOMO. Don’t let your emotions dictate your purchases. Hold off. Stay strong. “There are multiple stops on the deals train throughout the year on home electronics if you’re not quite ready to pull the trigger on Black Friday,” McGrath says.
If you don’t need that new TV at this very moment, or if you haven’t seen a good enough sale price on the set you do want, the Super Bowl is only a few weeks away. That’s another great time to buy televisions. If you want to replace your laptop, mark you calendars because back-to-school electronics deals start in July.
Big appliances like fridges and washer/dryers often drop prices during New Year’s sales and again during Presidents’ Day. Small appliances like air fryers and robot vacuums go on sale during both Prime Days.
9. Keep It Fun
Finding deals and saving money is fun (trust us, it’s what we do for a living). Not many people get all their holiday shopping done on one day or weekend. Not every purchase will net some savings. So before shop, we leave you with one last tip. “If it’s something you need or want, and it’s on sale, it’s a good buy,” McGrath says. “But I’d say never buy something you don’t need or didn’t know you even wanted until that very moment.” Sound advice.
Originally published at https://www.pcmag.com.
