Stop! Don’t Buy These 8 Items on Black Friday

The massive discounts available Thanksgiving weekend make the next few days a great opportunity to get most of your holiday shopping finished.

However, it’s also an opportunity to overspend or make purchases that leave you with buyer’s remorse. Not every item is a good buy — even on Black Friday. Experts say it’s better to wait to buy the following items since prices may fall further — or you might reconsider the purchase:

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Furniture and mattresses

If you’re looking for large home purchases this weekend, focus on big appliances like refrigerators or washers and dryers. Although you’ll also see discounts on furniture and mattresses, the best prices on these items typically appear on other holiday weekends throughout the year, such as Labor Day and Memorial Day.

Bedding and linens

The best prices of the year on soft home goods like sheets and towels occur during the white sales that traditionally take place in January.

“Not only do retailers including Pottery Barn, Macy’s and JCPenney plan for big sales around that time since it’s a known promotional event, but they will also be further discounting any holiday merchandise that’s in that category that didn’t sell,” says budget consultant Andrea Woroch. 

Travel

You won’t have to wait long to get the best prices on flights and hotels. These historically appear on “Travel Deal Tuesday,” which will take place on Nov. 28 this year. Last year, Travel Deal Tuesday saw 78 percent more deals in the category than Cyber Monday and twice as many as Black Friday, according to the travel site Hopper.

(Most) toys

In general, retailers increase the discounts on toys throughout December, so the longer you can wait, the better price you’ll get on items like blocks, dolls and video games.

“If you’re not picky about toys and just want some generalized stocking stuffers and good evergreen gifts for birthday parties in the coming year, shop right before Christmas,” says Kristin McGrath, shopping expert with RetailMeNot. “Retailers will be eager to offload remaining toys and games and will start marking them down the week of Christmas. So, these items make great last-minute gifts and stocking stuffers.”

Two exceptions to keep in mind: First, If you’re looking to purchase a “hot” toy (this year, that may include the Barbie Dreamhouse or the new, interactive Furby), take advantage of any discounts this weekend. The price may still go down later, but you run the risk of the item selling out entirely. Second, Lego sets have sold at Target, Walmart or Lego.com for 40 percent off during Thanksgiving weekend. Lego discounts don’t get much lower than that, so snag one when available, says Julie Ramhold, a senior staff writer and consumer analyst at DealNews.