Are Black Friday Deals Worth It?

We are halfway through November, with the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching. While many read that sentence and think turkey, family dinners, and pumpkin pie, others are already surfing the web, searching for the best black Friday deals. But are these deals really worth it?

For the most part, black Friday is a scam, with most companies raising their prices at the beginning of November only to drop them near the end of the month back to their original prices to make it seem as if they are offering a discount. Of course, there are a few exceptions to this, but they are few and far between and not usually worth the hassle. Read on to learn more about black Friday deals and the ones you should search for this November.

For the Most Part, Black Friday is a Scam

While it is too late for you to do this on your own for this year, we recommend always tracking the prices of the things you want to buy. We make it a habit to, sometime in October, go through the list of things we need (revolving list; not everything needs to be bought this November) and add them to a price watch list. By and large, their lowest price is the day we add them to the cart, with prices slowly increasing during the early weeks of November.

Now, we never buy during this time, of course, and wait to see what black Friday will bring. In general, the prices drop back to their original prices, under the guise of a “discount,” but some don’t even make it back to their original prices. In fact, on numerous occasions, the prices drop to a few dollars more than their original prices—meaning we should have bought the item in October.

Unfortunately, some large companies have caught on to this price tracking and have even made the original item “unavailable” before listing it for a new, higher price. We already caught one this year: a side table we wanted, originally listed for $54 in October, only for us to discover today that it was “no longer available.” But then, when we searched the shelf brand, we found it again, now listed for $61.

And the crazy thing is, black Friday isn’t even here yet. Prices will likely continue to increase until the fake discount is offered at the end of the month—but even then, it is somewhat unlikely that prices will ever return to what they were in October, meaning black Friday actually gives companies a method to raise their prices each year without consumers realizing.

Are There Any Actually Good Deals on Black Friday?

Now, we do want to mention that it isn’t all doom and gloom on black Friday, as occasionally, companies do offer a very deep discount on products they want to get rid of. This most often happens with things that “go out of style,” and that won’t be easy to sell in the coming year. Common items include clothing and certain electronics—usually phones and TVs, which regularly issue new models each season.

But before you rush out to save $80 on a TV, you need to do the same price tracking thing we mentioned above to ensure it is a good deal. Because while there may be a certain TV with a deep discount, it doesn’t usually apply to all of them, and you can quickly find yourself paying a higher price for the TV you wanted (especially because TVs don’t change that much season to season).

For clothing, we recommend specifically hunting for quantity discounts or bargains like “buy one get one free,” as these do tend to be decent deals. However, they are typically on very specific items the store doesn’t want to carry all year long, such as hats, gloves, and other warm-weather gear that hasn’t yet sold.

But if you are eyeing something that isn’t a TV or clothing, you should approach with caution and know that the deal you see probably isn’t actually a deal at all.

What to Buy on Black Friday?

In general, black Friday came to be because it is the time when everyone needs to start their Christmas shopping. But it can also be a time when people spend in excess because they believe they have to in order to get a good deal. Don’t be fooled; only buy what you need or want to gift for the holidays.

As previously mentioned, the only household deal you should look for during black Friday is a TV, but be prepared to skip on the purchase if it isn’t the deal you expect. Otherwise, only buy the things you actually need for the holiday and cannot put off buying (like décor and gifts).

In fact, most companies secretly offer their largest deals in January, after the holidays have already passed, with the purpose of offloading unsold holiday stock. While these deals are quiet and will vary, most of the things we start price tracking in October reach their lowest price in mid-January—after the noise from the holidays has slowed down.

The only exception to this is small businesses, which often have to offer a deep discount to compete during the holiday season. While we don’t track these prices as much, we have seen some actual good deals. So skip the Walmart and Amazon fake deals, instead giving your money to a small business that isn’t secretly profiting extra from your Christmas shopping.

Overall, we are sorry if we’ve burst your black Friday bubble, but companies have gotten away with the fake black Friday sales for far too long, and we want to do everything we can to stop people from spending far too much during the holiday season (most payday loans are taken out in January), especially because companies often profit from this predatory behavior.

Want to shop with crypto? Here are some businesses accepting crypto this holiday season.