Black Friday has a way of making every price tag look like a win, but the calendar often says otherwise. Christmas trees start getting cheaper within a week, sneakers can cost more than they do on their cheapest day, and parkas, bedding, mattresses, and patio sets all bottom out weeks or months later. The best price on plenty of popular buys arrives after the doorbusters are gone.
Christmas Trees Get Cheaper After Black Friday
Black Friday is the most popular day for Christmas tree sales, according to Square, which puts the average price around $112. Wait a week, and prices start to drop, then keep sliding as inventory thins. Hold out until the week before Christmas and the savings top 30% compared with Black Friday, though the pick of the lot may be gone by then.
Sneakers Can Cost More on Black Friday
Black Friday sneaker prices don’t hold up well against the rest of the year, according to RunRepeat, an athletic shoe review site. It analyzed past sale-day prices for the 27 most popular pairs in its database and found shoppers could expect to pay an average of $23.95 more, or 36.3%, than on each pair’s cheapest day. Its takeaway is that Black Friday sneaker deals are a myth.
Cars Come With Better Timing Than Black Friday
New-car shoppers could run into packed stores and thin staffing on Black Friday, even when the deals themselves are great. Used cars come with their own timing. iSeeCars ranks the day among the 10 best times of year to buy used. December and January tend to treat shoppers better, with New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day offering the best deals of all.
Tech Gets Cheaper After the Hype
Walmart, Target and Best Buy will likely pair a new iPhone with store gift cards of up to $250, according to savings expert Kendal Perez. Deeper discounts on the phone come once its novelty fades, about nine or 10 months after release. Laptops depend on tier. Budget and mainstream models should see steep cuts, while high-end ones with faster processors and better graphics are cheapest in July and September.
January Wins for Coats and Workout Gear
Parkas, snow gear, down coats, and fleece jackets hit their best prices in January, when bulky jackets get marked down as stores clear out winter stock. Fitness equipment follows the same schedule. Black Friday week may have a few deals, but New Year’s resolutions send people shopping for home workout gear, and bigger discounts show up once the new year starts.
Seasonal Furniture Has Its Own Calendar
Furniture has its own buying calendar, and Black Friday isn’t part of it. Indoor pieces tend to be cheapest in January and February or August and September, as retailers clear old inventory, so Presidents Day and Labor Day sales are worth watching. Patio sets are scarce by Black Friday because most outdoor items go on clearance as summer ends. Air conditioners are usually cheapest in August and early September.
Bedding and Mattresses Get Cheaper Later
Retailers have long marked down bedding at the start of the year, and January white sales often knock 50% to 80% off. Mattresses run a month behind. Consumer Reports says February is when shoppers stand to save the most on a new mattress. Buying either around Black Friday means missing both windows, so a few months of patience could pay off.
Gifts That Drop in Price After Black Friday
Gift cards can get better in just a few weeks. December often brings a free bonus card with a purchase, though those extras sometimes carry fast-approaching expiration dates. Jewelry can wait until after the New Year, says Sara Skirboll, shopping and trends expert at RetailMeNot, since January brings Valentine’s Day discounts. Boxed chocolate waits longest, with the weeks between Valentine’s Day and Easter the best time to buy.
Holiday Decor and Toys Can Wait Too
Buying decorations once the holiday is over feels a little silly, but that’s when the best deals show up, since major clearance sales usually arrive just after it ends. Target, however, has been known to offer significant discounts on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Toys see some Black Friday markdowns, but bigger savings are likely in the days and weeks that follow. Black Friday still has real wins. Perez calls most clothing, winter coats aside, a great buy that weekend, especially on Cyber Monday.
