10 Things NOT to Buy During Black Friday 2023 & When to Buy Them Instead
Wondering what you should not buy during Black Friday 2023?
Black Friday deals are already here, but not everything’s actually worth buying during Black Friday 2023!
Can you believe the holiday shopping season is upon us again already? 🤯 Black Friday deals continue to show up earlier and earlier every year and we’re already seeing plenty of Black Friday ad releases so it’s important to know what you should and shouldn’t buy.
Just like in previous years, retailers are offering more and more online deals rather than looking to draw large crowds of shoppers into their stores. That said, many retailers will be offering both so be sure to mark your calendars when these hot deals start as they could be on staggered dates.
And remember, many major retailers will remain completely closed on Thanksgiving Day which is a trend that continues to live on.
One word of caution: While Black Friday deals can be great buys if you know what to look for, you won’t always get the best price on everything during this savings event. There are definitely some items you may want to avoid buying during this time of year.
Here are 10 things NOT to buy during Black Friday 2023:
1. The Latest Apple iPhone…possibly.
The iPhone 15 was released in September 2023, and while we know many people will want to get their hands on it right away, we also know from past experience that Black Friday more than likely won’t be the best time to purchase it.
While some stores may offer gift cards when you purchase the latest Apple iPhone at full price, you’ll usually be better off waiting until around December to score some savings on the newest iPhone. You may also have better luck getting a deal on the previous-generation iPhone 14, and may even be able to get it “for free” if you trade in another recent model.
That said, if you’re looking to switch carriers, start a new plan, and/or have a semi-recent model of an iPhone, you might be able to score a great deal on the iPhone 15… if not free!
Bookmark our iPhone Black Friday deals post to know when the best deals are happening!
2. Linens and Bedding
Unless you’re having guests over for Christmas and have nothing for them to sleep on, you’re better off waiting until the January White Sales when these items usually hit their lowest prices.
During a White Sale, retailers deeply discount sheets, comforter sets, towels, and more as a way to move inventory and entice shoppers. These events date back to January 1878, when department store pioneer John Wanamaker held the first White Sale to sell his extra bedding stock during a slow time of year. Back then, bed linens were only sold in a basic shade of white, thus the name of the sale!
Need bedding now? I tested a bunch of affordable bedding that feels like luxurious, expensive bedding.
Hip Tip: If your linens could just use a good cleaning, here’s how often you should clean all your bedding and learn how to properly clean white sheets without bleach.
3. Jewelry
Jewelry is a common Christmas gift to give special someone. However, if you’re able to plan ahead, it’s actually better to shop for these items around Mother’s Day or late summer in July or August.
Bookmark our jewelry deals page to check out the latest and biggest savings on jewelry before you head into a store, including the best deal on our favorite name necklace! 😍
Hip Tip: Planning to pop the question over the holidays and need to buy an engagement ring soon? 💍 Check out our team-tested tips on shopping for an affordable engagement ring!
4. Fitness Equipment
Consumers get seriously motivated to get into shape after the holidays are over. That said, retailers know shoppers are looking for deals on fitness equipment in January and they tend to offer the lowest prices during this time of year. You’ll often get the best deal on a gym membership after the holidays, too!
Hip Tip: Shop the best treadmills and the best exercise bikes for 2023. Plus, find FREE workout videos to start reaching your New Year’s goals, and be sure to download these free workout apps too!
5. Gift Cards
There may be a few gift card deals during Black Friday, but if you wait until December, many restaurants, retailers, and even drugstores will offer deals on gift cards to get shoppers into the holiday spirit.
6. Latest Brand Name TVs
You’ll be able to find discounted high-end TVs and electronics if you can wait until the end of December. This is when retailers start clearing out older televisions to make room for next year’s models. However, last year, we did see some smart TVs go on sale for over 50% off so only time will tell. Also, January is a big month for TV sales as Super Bowl Sunday approaches. That’s if you can wait that long. 😉
Nonetheless, our Black Friday price comparison cheat sheet will help you know you’re getting the very best deal on all your electronics this Black Friday if you do plan to grab something big!
Hip Tip: Psst…we’ve seen $69 Airpods and under $150 50″ Smart TV in the early Walmart Black Friday sales ad.
7. Winter Clothing
If you’re able to wait until January or February, that’s when retailers will be stocking up for spring which means many of their popular winter items will start hitting the clearance racks. Right after the holidays is when you’ll be able to find the biggest savings on highly rated and well-known brands of outerwear!
In fact, you’ll often be able to save 75% or more on jackets, winter apparel, gloves, and winter boots if you wait until then to shop. If you’ve got growing kids, consider buying the next size up so they’ll have new winter gear for next year’s cold weather!
8. Toys
Believe it or not, Black Friday is not always the best time to score toy deals for the holidays. You may find some good deals on this year’s most popular toys (if you can find them before they sell out), but retailers will often mark those same toys down even lower about two weeks before Christmas.
In addition, Target hosts its Semi-Annual Toy Clearance event in January and July which is a great time to stock the toy closet with toys and games that have been discounted up to 90% off! 😱 On the flip side, we did see a few toys under $5 in the early Walmart Black Friday ad release!
Hip Tip: Wondering what the top toys will be in 2023? Browse the Target Toy List or the Walmart Toy List for the latest trends.
9. High-Powered Laptops
It might seem like there are a ton of deals on laptops during Black Friday, but most of the laptops advertised are basic, mainstream computers without many bells and whistles. You’ll be able to find better deals on laptops with superior graphics and faster processors during the months of July and September.
Hip tip: These are the best laptops to buy on the market right now!
10. Holiday Decorations
Unless there’s something you absolutely can’t live without, you’re better off waiting for the huge after-Christmas clearance events after Christmas. Stores usually mark holiday items up to 50% off the day after Christmas, and then markdowns continue until items reach as much as 90% off.
When you do shop the after-holiday clearance sales, start stocking up on holiday items you may need for next year while the prices are at rock bottom.
Collin
That coat looks beautiful on you. May I ask what brand it is? Thank you
Thank you! 🥰 This is actually such an old pic and I’ve got a few more wrinkles 😆, but it’s the REI brand jacket that I got like 5 years ago, however, I feel like it is SO similar to the 32 Degrees brand, and the prices are so much better too! We have a recent post with the 32 Degrees jacket deals here https://hip2save.com/deals/32-degrees-jacket/
Hope that helps!
32 Degrees is having their “75-80% off site-wide” sale right now. I love their lightweight baselayer crew tops and at $6.99 this is a great time to stock up. I got 7 and this entitled me to free shipping as well. https://www.32degrees.com
Awesome! Thanks for the heads up on that sale! We’ll be sure to check it out! ❤️
I respectfully disagree with your laptop statement. While I realize your laptop statement was pointed at a ‘one use’ market for laptops, you generalized them as laptops. Gaming laptops, for example, are best bought in November around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This reason is because their announcement for new models hits media and you’ll see new market items at the turn of the year and they use this time to offload heavy merchandise of what will soon be considered old models. In any area of laptop use where the GPU and CPU needs best of market merch you will see these buyers wanting new models like they want new phone models. The concept is the same. This includes heavy performance areas beyond gamers. You’ll also see a second wave with income tax to finish offloading old models. This goes for individual parts as well for those upgrading hardware. And your laptop list is for simplistic users but most of those models can’t handle much of someone is actually looking to do anything with their laptop. No actual PC site rating it for CPU and GPU performance against heavy task operations will put half of those models worth their costs.
Know your PC: PC game benchmark dot com (all one word of course)
If all you want to do is search the web, use your phone. If you want to write a doc…use a Chromebook.
Thanks so much for taking a few minutes to share your thoughts on the promotions and features of laptops, Ivy. Good to know and much appreciated! 🤗💕
My son wants a gaming pc. Not looking to spend more than $1000. Any help would be great
Acer Nitro 16 Normal Price is $1000. You’ll easily find it between $699 and $799 for BF/CM. Best Buy, Newegg, microcenter, and Amazon are your best bets.
This has different models so pay attention to what it has. Must have:
165hz refresh display
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050
Alternative:
MSI katana 15
144hz refresh display
CPU: Intel Core i7-13620H
GPU: Nvidia GeForce
Already phasing out and you may find this at Best buy for open box/display cheap. Normal Price $1000. Expect nice deals.
MSI does heavy phase out this time of year.
If you have a microcenter check their open box as well.
Model to keep an eye out for:
ASUS ROG zephyrus. This normally runs $1300+ depending on the hardware. But if $1000 is your target and it gets a phase out, you may see it hit that $1000 target range and it would be worth grabbing at that price point. I build towers for people and historically I’ve done better on parts for Cyber Monday. But Microcenter usually has a very nice black Friday ad.
Wow! That was like a whole different language, lol!
I’m soooo lost! My teen just wants a gaming pc, not a laptop. I think he likes the cool led towers
Buying a tower stock is a bit more complicated. There is a thousands of those with various mix and match parts. I can’t send links on here. Your son, being a modern day teenager, is likely very capable of building his own tower. They a truly plug and play. Like putting Legos together. Simple big block Legos mostly. Just use a static guard. Tell them to watch GeekAWhat on YouTube and see if it’s something they wants to consider. You can get the parts significantly cheaper around that time and it’s great experience. When a part dies out your teen will know how to replace the part or upgrade it as they want over the years. Otherwise, id avoid everything HP, Lenovo, and Dell (except Alienware)
Katana GPU correction:
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050
Pcgamebenchmark dot come will pass call of duty on nitro 16 as well as GTA, which are two of the hardest hitting games for Frames
What about this?
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-OptiPlex-Desktop-Computer-Keyboard/dp/B0BLQLKVG5/ref=asc_df_B0BLQLKVG5?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80814237391520&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584413758497410&psc=1
I was able to score a full sheet set at kohls for $10 yesterday. I thought that was a pretty good deal! I don’t buy sheets often but it seemed decent. 😁 Thanks for sharing! Always love reading these posts.
Glad you’ve found this post helpful and enjoy reading them, Grink. 🥰 Thanks so much for this feedback. That does sound like a great deal on sheets! Glad you could scoop them up! 🙌