6 Items You Should Never Buy on Black Friday (And What To Get Instead)
Written by
Daisy Carrington
Edited by
Amber Barkley
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Sorting through Black Friday sales can be head-spinning. With every email shouting all-caps promises of SAVINGS, it can be hard to sort the good bargains from the bad. To ensure your budget doesn’t go to waste, GOBankingRates compiled a list of the items to avoid on Black Friday — and what to buy instead.
Off-Brand TVs
TVs are one of the best Black Friday gets, but not all TVs are created equal. Often, retailers put their cheapest sets front and forward, but these seeming bargains can mask a low-quality set that might not last a full year.
What to get instead: To avoid having to shop for yet another TV next year, invest in a good one from the start. High-quality sets, like Samsung’s 55-inch Class S90D OLED 4K Smart TV, are discounted by hundreds of dollars at the likes of Best Buy and Walmart.
Furniture
Even the lowest-quality furniture rarely comes cheap, which is why it makes sense to wait until the biggest bargain to invest in a new sofa or dining room set. And while there are some deals to be found around Black Friday, for truly big savings on furnishings, it’s best to wait for the load of sales that tend to come out around the landmark three-day weekends: think Labor Day, Memorial Day and Presidents Day, when many dealers are looking to clear out old stock before the new models come in.
What to get instead: Large appliances, like vacuums and washer-dryer sets, usually get deep discounts around Black Friday. The Dyson v11 Extra Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, for example, is discounted $250 at Walmart.
Jewelry
With the holidays being a prime time for bling, it can mean jewelers are less likely to cut prices around this time of year. Plus, lifetime jewelry is best bought when not in a panic induced by the avalanche of sale promotions. It’s better to wait until slow seasons, like January, after the holiday sales rush.
What to get instead: Whereas diamonds aren’t likely to see price cuts, smartwatches definitely are. Expect discounts of $50 or more on popular brands, like Fitbits and Apple Watches.
Toys
While yes, there are deals on toys during Black Friday, these can be tricky to navigate. The hottest toys of the season can sell out well before Thanksgiving, retailers can inflate the pre-sale price to make something look like a deal when it’s not, and low-quality knock-offs flood the internet this time of year — some of which can be dangerous for kids.
What to get instead: Video games are often discounted come Black Friday, and this year is no exception, with rare deals knocking $75 off of Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 consoles — plus many half-priced deals on popular video games.
iPhones
Apple typically releases the newest models of its phones in September, and these new releases — currently the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, Pro and Pro Max — won’t see discounts for another few months, as demand is still high. Black Friday can be a good time to score a deal on an older model, though discounts start from September onwards.
What to get instead: Black Friday is a good time of year to get deals on tablets, with many marked down hundreds of dollars. Best Buy, for example, is selling a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 for $399.99 — a $200 markdown.
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