The Best and Worst Things to Buy on Black Friday

Black Friday is the epicenter of the entire holiday shopping season. And known as THE day to get things on sale. Tech, clothing, home goods, gifts and pretty much everything else are on sale at every retailer all at once.

If this all sounds chaotic, you’re right. And that’s why you need a plan. So we’re here to help you make a solid shopping list. Here’s our official list of what to buy and what NOT to buy on Black Friday. 

Full disclosure: I spent four holiday seasons as the editor of our sister site, BlackFriday.com, poring over every page of every retailer’s Black Friday ad (and I still pore over those ads every year, just so I can save money). Our picks below are based on recent years’ best deals. Things are subject to change, though, so check back for updates (BlackFriday.com is the best place to do that). Remember that, if you need something and it’s on sale, it might be a good buy for you, even if it’s on our “What NOT to Buy list.” And, likewise, if you don’t need the item, it’s a bad buy, even if it’s heavily discounted on Black Friday.

When is Black Friday 2024?

Black Friday 2024 falls on Nov. 29.

However .. over the past several years, we’ve tracked a steady “Black Friday creep.” What was once a single day has engulfed most of November and even October. These days, retailers start the Black Friday hype early (as early as late-October) with pre-Black Friday sales — and kick off their official Black Friday online deals as soon as a week before Thanksgiving. Not to mention the crop of super-early holiday sales the first two weeks of October this year from Amazon, Walmart, Target and Best Buy.

Even if you’re talking about Thanksgiving weekend alone, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have, in many ways, melded to create a weekend-long shopping marathon, with deals starting on Black Friday, deals continuing through Saturday and Sunday, and yet MORE deals kicking off on Cyber Monday. 

In sum: Long gone are the days when Black Friday deals started and ended on Black Friday.

The Best Things to Buy on Black Friday

If you’re shopping for any of the below items, rest assured they’ll be at some of the lowest prices of the year on Black Friday. So feel good about adding them to your cart, checking out quickly and then relaxing the rest of Thanksgiving weekend.

Computers, Laptops and Tablets

If you’re in need of a new laptop, desktop, gaming PC or tablet, Black Friday is the time to upgrade. Apple products will be on sale at retailers like Best Buy. Apple will offer gift cards with purchase (no discounts). Plus, Dell, Lenovo and HP will all be dropping online doorbusters the entire weekend. These electronics sale events can be tough to navigate, so check out tech retailers’ Black Friday ads in advance to see what’s dropping and when. 

Often, the lowest doorbuster prices will be on machines with weak specs. However, because the price is already lower than usual, you can use that “extra” money to upgrade your storage and processing power. Check out this PCMag guide to learn which specs you actually need. Keep in mind that, if you’re customizing your laptop in any way, you may need to prep for a longer shipping time.

Need a new tablet? Tablets are among the best Black Friday buys. Check out Best Buy and Target — iPad deals on Black Friday are practically inevitable at both. And check out Amazon’s deals on its own products (Fire tablets and Kindles). In previous Black Friday sales, we’ve seen Amazon drop its Fire HD 8 tablet as low as $44.99 (originally $89.99), its Fire HD 10 tablet to $74.99 (originally $150). So we’re talking discounts of around 50%.

Small Appliances

If you’ve been on the fence about buying a new fancy stand mixer, a blender, an air fryer or pressure cooker (or if you’ve been meaning to replace your old one), set your sights on Black Friday. In fact, deals on these things are so common on Black Friday that they’re practically run-of-the-mill. Expect up to 50% off across the board. 

Expect deep savings on blenders as well, including those from NutriBullet and Vitamix. You’ll find savings at those retailers themselves, but also check out Black Friday deals from Walmart, Target, Kohl’s and Macy’s. Kohl’s will be offering special Kohl’s Cash offers with small appliances, and that Kohl’s Cash can be handy for last-minute holiday purchases.

And, if there’s one kitchen product to put on your radar on Black Friday, that’s the KitchenAid mixer. There are several models, and some get reliably discounted by $100 or more during Black Friday sales. The stores to check for these deals are Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, Macy’s, Kohl’s and KitchenAid itself. The past couple years, we saw Black Friday discounts on KitchenAid mixers quickly sell out. And we know that getting the color that matches your kitchen is vital — so make sure the KitchenAid mixer is the first thing you add to your cart this year, if it’s on your list. 

Airpods, Other Wireless Earbuds and Headphones

Airpods and earbuds that compete with Airpods have been the stars of the Black Friday show the past few seasons, with retailers like Walmart and Target placing tempting deals front and center in their ads. In 2021, we saw the AirPods Pro (full price: $249) for a record low of $159 at Walmart’s Black Friday sale. That deal sold out quickly, but other retailers jumped in at the $189 mark. Last year, we saw the newer edition of the Airpods Pro for $199 ($50 off). That price point has since become a garden-variety discount, so expect better this Black Friday.

In previous seasons, we’ve seen both Walmart and Amazon offer the lowest price ever on basic AirPods during their early Black Friday sales in early November. And last year Walmart announced that it would offer the lowest-ever price on Airpods Pro 2 ($169) for its Black Friday sale.

In previous years, we saw Target slash the $249.95 Powerbeats Pro down to $149.99 and the Beats Studio Buds True Wireless earphones for as low as $89.99.

And don’t forget Echo Buds (normally $119.99) — in previous Black Fridays Amazon dropped them to $69.99 for Prime Day AND Black Friday (standard version). The wireless charging version was dropped down to $89.99. for Black Friday last year (normally $139.99).

While earbuds are incredibly popular and portable, if you need bigger guns (like over-ear headphones for noise cancellation and/or comfort), you’ll find plenty of Black Friday deals on those, too. Previous Black Fridays saw the Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones marked down to $99.99 ($100 off) at Target and other retailers and the Beats Studio3 Wireless Noise Cancelling headphones for $149.99 ($200 off) at Target and other retailers.

Suffice it to say that Black Friday has a rich history of headphone discounts, if you want to pick up a pair your budget normally wouldn’t cover.

Smart Home Gadgets

For anyone who doesn’t already have an Amazon Echo speaker or Google Nest smart speaker, there will be plenty of deals on Black Friday. There always are. Amazon and Google have a multiyear tradition of dropping prices on their smart speakers by 40% or more on Black Friday. It’s also common to see BOGO deals, with a smart bulb, smart plug or even another smart speaker thrown in. Google and Amazon want to get as many households as possible to buy into their ecosystem of products, so they drop their prices on smart speakers (their gateway products) as low as possible. In previous Black Friday sales, we saw Amazon drop the price of its Echo Dot to $24.99 (then the lowest price ever).

As for the entry-level screenless smart speakers, those drop to stocking-stuffer prices. We’ve seen the Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen.) drop to $24.99 (49% off) during Black Friday. The Google Nest Mini hit a low of just $18 (49% off) at Walmart (during one of its pre-Black Friday sales).

Toys

Toys are often one of the biggest stressors when it comes to holiday shopping. Popular ones sell out (disappointing your kids) and are often stubbornly stuck at full price. And there’s always the chance that you’ll get a bargain when shopping for toys last minute, because you’re taking advantage of retailers’ desperation to offload remaining stock.

This year, however, you’ll want to try to polish off your toy shopping by Black Friday, according to our experts. There’s a chance retailers will play it safe this year and aim to not be overstocked at the end of the season like they were in previous years. In other words, pickings will be slim after the Black Friday rush.

Luckily for shoppers, Black Friday is a smart time to buy toys. Last year, we saw 20% to 50% off toys (from popular lines like CoComelon, to bikes) at Walmart. At Target, we saw up to 40% off select Lego sets and a mix-and-match deal that offered buy one, get 50% off pricing on brands like Play-Doh, Marvel, Melissa & Doug and more. In previous years, we saw some retailers announce strong toy deals, including up to 60% off toys from Discovery, Sharper Image and Geoffrey’s Toy Box at Macy’s and select Barbie and Hot Wheels toys starting at $4.99 at Kohl’s.

Need to start your toy shopping list? Check out our list of the top toys of 2024.

Video Games and Gaming Consoles

It’s unclear whether we’ll finally get price-tag discounts on the Big 3 consoles (Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X). In previous years, we did see the Xbox Series S marked down by $50 at several retailers (plus with a $50 gift card thrown in at Target!). As for the rest, we saw the consoles offered at full price but with some bundled “freebies” thrown in, like controllers, games and several free months of online memberships.

We expect roughly the same this year, given the lack of discounts on these consoles over the years. Price drops in previous years for some consoles was a mere $10 under MSRP.

You’ll have more luck when it comes to video games. Every year, retailers like Walmart, Best Buy, Target and GameStop trot out a slew of deals. You’ll find plenty of options for $15. While the most sought-after games won’t plummet that low, last year, Walmart offered some popular Nintendo Switch games for $25 off.

Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers

Black Friday is the perfect time to upgrade your existing smartwatch or fitness tracker — or make the leap to getting one.

Black Friday is one of the times of year when you are almost guaranteed to find the Apple Watch on sale. That goes for older models as well as the newest. During Black Fridays past, we’ve seen roughly $20 to $50 off new-model Apple Watches and even more dramatic discounts (up to $100 off) older generations.

If you don’t need a full-blown smartwatch, check out Fitbit and other fitness trackers. We saw the Fitbit Sense 2 for $50 off at Kohl’s (with $60 in Kohl’s Cash thrown in!) during previous Black Fridays, as well as the Fitbit Versa 2 for $50 off at Target.

Home Goods (Towels and Sheets)

Linen cabinet stuff is the unsung hero of Black Friday. If you need to stock up, towels and sheets are a truly underrated Black Friday buy. You’ll find them for up to 60% off at retailers like Target, Macy’s, Bed Bath & Beyond and Kohl’s. And they sell out surprisingly quickly.

Massage Guns

Add massage guns to the list of “things you won’t know you need until you need them.” Massage guns generally retail for above $100, and we’ve seen Black Friday deals for as much as 30% off on Amazon. And getting big-ticket items for WAY less is what Black Friday is all about.

What NOT to Buy on Black Friday

It might be hard to believe there’s a bad buy to be had on Black Friday. And it’s true that almost everything is on sale. However, there are a few products that it’s smart to skip or buy at another time of year. If any of the below items are on your shopping list, by all means, check out the deals. But don’t focus on these items at the expense of missing deals on the items above.

Clothing

You’ll find clothing deals aplenty on Black Friday. But these deals are often offered on specific items, rather than across the board (although, last year, we did see some pretty healthy sitewide promo codes).

Regardless of the strength of the discounts, there’s no rush to buy clothing on Black Friday: Retailers will offer promo codes worth 20% to 60% off your entire cart throughout Cyber Weekend. And they’ll offer clothing sales AGAIN during After-Christmas and New Year sales.

So, if clothing is of interest to you, shop the items above (which WILL sell out) first, and then shift to updating your wardrobe.

And remember, if you’re shopping for winter clothing, wait until January. There will still be snow on the ground, but retailers will be thinning the racks for spring and possibly offer even better clearance deals than they offered on Black Friday.

The Very Cheapest Doorbuster 4K TV You See

Retailers work hard to make you want to buy that dirt-cheap doorbuster TV by placing it front and center in their Black Friday ads. But that TV is not your smartest buy. For one thing, it’ll sell out in minutes. For another, it is likely a cheap model that will glitch and require replacing within a couple years.

Luckily, cheap doorbuster TVs aren’t your only Black Friday option. Black Friday lowers the prices on a huge range of sets. So instead of chasing down the cheapest one, do your research on high-quality sets. They’ll be on sale, too, to the tune of hundreds of dollars off their usually high price tags. Yes, the idea of getting a huge screen for just a couple hundred bucks is exciting. But you’ll thank yourself later for springing for a better-quality TV that will last longer.

The key is to do your research and, find the best set you can, rather than get swept away by this year’s doorbusters — or better yet, wait until right before the Big Game, when retailers run sales on higher-quality TV sets.  If you are out there shopping for TVs on Black Friday, make sure you understand SKUs so that you know what you’re getting. 

Furniture

You’ll find some furniture deals in major retailers’ Black Friday ads — and furniture stores will offer their own sales. But, unless you absolutely need to replace that sectional, bed or dining room table, there’s no reason you absolutely must shop for furniture on Black Friday and divert your attention from smarter buys. In fact, you’ll have another opportunity to score huge furniture savings on Presidents Day in February. 

What Else To Buy in November

Just because Black Friday is at the end of the month doesn’t mean you have to wait until then. There are plenty of other smart November buys and ways to save. For example, you can shop one of the many early Black Friday sales that retailers are running the entire month, right up until Thanksgiving. Plus, there are plenty of smart buys to make in November based on seasonality.

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