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3 Things You Should Buy on Black Friday — and 3 Things You Can Skip

Photo credit: Instant Pot / Apple
Photo credit: Instant Pot / Apple

From Woman's Day

You know when you’ve said a word so many times that it begins to sound foreign, the syllables clunky on your tongue? That’s how I’ve gotten with the phrase, “I’ll just wait until Black Friday to buy it.” I’ve lost count of many times I’ve uttered those words because I say it in reference to almost everything I want. An Instant Pot, the Dyson stick vacuum I’ve had my eye on, an Apple Watch Series 3 that I don’t need but will definitely be gifting myself: I’ll just put them on the long list of things to buy on Black Friday.

But when I say Black Friday, I’m actually using it as a catch-all for the month of November — because Black Friday is no longer just a day but a whole month. That’s right: Some of the best Black Friday deals will come before Black Friday. Holiday deals creep up on shoppers earlier and earlier each year and oftentimes, the pricing you see at the beginning of November holds steady through to the end of the month. (We’re even beginning to see retailers call these out as Early Black Friday deals and guaranteeing the price won’t drop further on Black Friday or Cyber Monday).

If you’re a shopper who works to maximize your credit card benefits, this makes the entire month of November a particularly good time to pull in extra credit card rewards while bargain hunting. For instance, Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card holders can earn a Prime bonus of up to 20% cash back on certain items like Canon cameras, Samsung phones and furniture through December 22, 2019. And if you’re a Discover it Cash Back cardholder, you can earn up to $75 back on up to $1,500 in purchases at Amazon.com, Target, or walmart.com through December 31 by activating a 5% cash back bonus on the Discover app or website.

While it’s true that you’ll see the best prices on most things during the upcoming holiday season, “I’ll just wait until Black Friday to buy it” doesn’t necessarily apply to everything out there. Here’s what you should be buying this Black Friday—and what you should hold off on purchasing.

What to Buy on Black Friday: Countertop Appliances

For many product categories, Black Friday is the absolute best time of year to buy since prices will be the best we’ll see all year. This is especially true of countertop appliances like electric pressure cookers, coffee makers, and food processors. According to Wirecutter Deals editor Nathan Burrow, who has spent years scouring the web for the best discounts, 2019 will again be a particularly good year to nab an Instant Pot.

He predicts that the Instant Pot Ultra 6-quart will sell for $85 or less, the price of the Instant Pot 6-quart will likely drop to $50, and the 3-quart Instant Pot Duo mini may hit $40.

What Not to Buy on Black Friday: Mattresses

You’ll see a few deals during Black Friday and Cyber Week on direct-to-consumer mattresses (the foam ones squeezed into a small cardboard box delivered directly to your doorstep), but the best time of year to invest is actually late January through President’s Day weekend in February. That being said, Burrow does expect to see quite a few price drops on mattress brands like Tuft & Needle, Casper, and Saatva, so if your back is in knots and you desperately need something new, it wouldn’t be the worst time to splurge.

What to Buy on Black Friday: Apple Products

Historically, Apple doesn’t participate in Black Friday by offering jaw-dropping deals. Instead, the retailer likes to offer store gift cards with qualifying purchases… which isn’t the worst, but most of us would prefer to see price drops. Luckily, some Apple gear will see discounts through third-party sellers like Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and Costco—and if you’ve been lusting for an Apple watch, now is the time to do it. Because Apple just released the Apple Watch Series 5, Burrow is expecting the price of the Series 3 to drop to the lowest it's ever been, with deals on select models as low as $150.

What Not to Buy on Black Friday: Organizers

Other things you should hold off on buying include items you use to maximize storage and organization, like bins and dividers. According to Wirecutter staff writer Jackie Reeve, sales on these organization essentials start to pop up in January — perfectly timed to help out anyone who resolved they’d start to declutter on Jan. 1.

What to Buy on Black Friday: Amazon Products

Prices will also drop significantly on Amazon’s branded collection of smart speakers, tablets, and ebook readers. The retailer has already leaked some of its Black Friday deals and the prices are tantalizing: The third generation Echo will sell for $60, the tenth generation Kindle Paperwhite for $85, the Fire HD 8 for $50. Burrow points out that the only other time that Amazon offers such good pricing on their own merch is Prime Day—which means this will be the last time we’ll see all these items so deeply discounted at the same time until July 2020.

What Not to Buy on Black Friday: TVs

Black Friday isn’t the best time to buy a TV — hard to believe considering blowout deals on 65” flatscreens have been the cornerstone of the holiday shopping season for as long as we can remember. Yes, you’ll see insanely low prices on televisions, but if you look a bit closer at the specs and off-brand names, you’ll realize that many of those discounts are duds masquerading as deals. A lot of the hyper-discounted televisions you may see advertised are actually only available during the holiday season, made specifically to sell at low prices. Simply put, it’s not worth the hype if the deals largely apply to bargain brands or stripped-down versions from bigger name manufacturers. Instead, wait until February to splurge on a new flatscreen: Burrow expects to see deals filter in just in time for your Superbowl Sunday viewing party.

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