Black Friday shopping typically involves three constants: You, a lengthy line of strangers and a shopping list that—come hell or high water—you will get through, no matter how much coffee (or elbow throwing) it takes. But this year is bound to be different, to say the least. Those in-person lines will likely be replaced with an entirely online experience, which means more sales at lightning speed. But before you impulsively start adding to cart the second after the pumpkin pie is cleared, take a breather and create your plan of attack. Here, we lay out the six items worth investing in the day after Thanksgiving—and four you’re better off holding out a few weeks for.
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6 Items Worth Buying on Black Friday (and 4 You Should Skip)
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Buy: 4k Tvs
Of all the items that go on sale on Black Friday, TVs tend to be the most sought-after. Retailers consistently drop television prices to draw in shoppers, and you'll usually see the best offers of the year on this day. Still, the type of TV you’re looking to buy matters. This year, you can expect to score the biggest savings on 4K sets with some doorbuster deals as low as $170, but expect to find most prices in the $200 to $400 range.
Buy: Kitchen Items
From cookware to small appliances, you'll find big discounts on kitchen necessities come November. On Black Friday, Amazon, Macy's and Bed Bath & Beyond will be the prime spot for top deals on items like Instant Pots, Nespresso machines and KitchenAid Stand mixers. Also worth snapping up: Everyday culinary essentials like Pyrex containers or 10-piece cookware sets.
Buy: A Dyson Vacuum
Black Friday is prime time to invest (at a hefty discount) in big-ticket home appliances that you’ve been waiting on all year. Case in point: Dyson. Last year, almost half of the vacuum deals listed hit annual price lows with Dyson models going for as little as $200.
Buy: A New Dishwasher Or Fridge
Big-brand, French door refrigerators will fall as low as $750 while dishwashers could go for as little as $200 at Samsung and Home Depot, both of which will host their best sales of the year on appliances (sometimes up to 40 percent off).
Buy: Budget-friendly Laptops
You’ll find the best deals on more basic builds. For example, in previous years, Best Buy's doorbuster sale offered $300 off Microsoft Surface laptops and you can expect more of the same savings this year.
Buy: Fitness Equipment
In prior years, fitness equipment was something that you'd be much better off waiting until January to buy. But given the ongoing pandemic, people are staying out of gyms and turning to stationary bikes, HIIT mirrors and treadmills more than ever. Because of this, brands will likely be discounting said items as early as possible so people can reap the benefits for holiday gifting.
Skip: 1080p Tvs
It’s not that the deals on 1080p TVs won’t be good, but remember the discounts on 4K TVs we told you about? On Black Friday, they’ll pretty much match the cost of a 1080p TV, which means that even if you don’t care about 4K content right now, you might as well go with the “better” option, since the cost is roughly the same.
Black Friday Deals to Shop Now:
Why You Should Trust Us
PureWow's editors and writers have spent more than a decade shopping online, digging through sales and putting our home goods, beauty finds, wellness picks and more through the wringer—all to help you determine which are actually worth your hard-earned cash. From our PureWow100 series (where we rank items on a 100-point scale) to our painstakingly curated lists of fashion, beauty, cooking, home and family picks, you can trust that our recommendations have been thoroughly vetted for function, aesthetics and innovation. Whether you're looking for travel-size hair dryers you can take on-the-go or women’s walking shoes that won’t hurt your feet, we’ve got you covered.