Lisa Rowan, a consumer finance expert for Forbes Advisor, talks about the ongoing supply chain woes, but explains that it doesn’t have to wreck your holiday shopping.
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, making this year’s shopping holiday Nov. 26. But you can already find Black Friday deals out in the wild from several retailers where the discounts will be spread out over the next several weeks.
As you wade through promotions — and headlines about supply-chain issues and shortages — aim to shop strategically. Here are a few product categories worth buying this Black Friday, along with those that you may be better off skipping until they’re on sale in a few months.
Buy: Laptops
Black Friday typically means major sales on electronics, and this year is no exception. Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, Costco and Target each announced sales this month on various types of laptops.
At Costco, expect deals on Dell, Lenovo, HP, LG, Samsung and MSI laptops, depending on when and how you shop. (Costco is staggering the promotions, and some are available online only.)
Skip: Bedding
Sure, you’ll likely find a few bedding bargains on Black Friday, but hold out until January if you can. That’s when many retailers discount bedroom and bathroom goods, such as sheets, pillows, towels and linens.
Toward the end of the year, keep an eye out for upcoming promotions on bedding and other furniture. You may find deals from Pottery Barn, Overstock, West Elm, Macy’s, Crate & Barrel and Wayfair.
Buy: TVs
As usual, you’ll find steep price drops on TVs on Black Friday and in the weeks leading up to it. For example, Walmart will offer a Samsung 60-inch 4K smart TV with HDR for $548 beginning on Nov. 10. Expect TV deals on several brands from Amazon, Costco, Best Buy and Target, too.
DataWeave, a retail data and pricing analytics firm, tracked the prices of more than 200 types of TVs sold by Amazon, Target and Walmart. Karthik Bettadapura, the firm’s CEO, says the prices of the TVs they tracked increased 7.4% this year between April and October.
So these Black Friday price cuts may not be as deep as they appear, given the baseline price of many TVs has likely ticked up. But there’s no denying that retailers offer some of their biggest discounts on TVs during Black Friday, so if you’re in the market, you may want to take advantage of them anyway.
Skip: Winter clothing
Retailers can typically charge more for items that are in-season (and in-demand) and less for products that aren’t. Winter wear such as coats and jackets is about as in-season as it gets right now, so you probably won’t find the year’s biggest discounts.
If you’re able to wait a few months, look for cold-weather gear on the clearance rack as we head into spring. At that point, retailers will likely be eager to sell their off-season inventory at a discount.
If you can’t hold off until 2022, you’re still likely to find plenty of deals on coats and other cozy gear this month at Macy’s, Amazon, Kohl’s and other stores.
Check out more Black Friday tips and financial advice from experts:
If you thought seeing holiday merchandise around Halloween was early, Amazon is now taking the holiday shopping season to a whole new — and earliest-ever — level.
Walmart is rolling out three sales events with its second annual “Black Friday Deals for Days.”
Like the rest of the retail world, Best Buy is expanding Black Friday into a monthlong event. The technology and appliance store has launched its holiday sales event.
Lowe’s Black Friday deals are most anticipated among shoppers who are looking to decorate for the holidays, make some home improvements or upgrade an appliance. And save a bunch of money.
Macy’s is joining the parade of national retailers expanding Black Friday throughout the month of November. The department store even has specials as low as $3.
Target has already launched Black Friday discounts, with more deals dropping weekly. But the popular retailer is aiming to make this Black Friday shopping season not only longer, but also more convenient.
The warehouse version of Black Friday is underway. Costco is super-sizing the holiday season with four stages of savings through November. Grab a basket and a couple of flat carts and pick up a pallet or two of your favorite bargains.
While many third-party retailers (slightly) discount some devices, Apple Stores and the website maintain their low-key demeanor. But there are ways to get an Apple Black Friday deal.
