Best Times to Buy: Black Friday, Cyber Monday or later?

With the barrage of sales now happening, it’s natural to ask, what things will be best buys during the Black Friday season and which will be better deals in December or closer to Christmas? Over the last several years, we’ve look at research from retailers,  and research has shown that Black Friday is not always the best time to buy merchandise to get the best deals.  The closer we get to Christmas, the more sales there will be until retailers meet their sales goals.  Black Friday is really just the first inning in the Holiday sales game.   As the New York Post says, ” America has wised up to the Black Friday con.”  Sure, some things will be good deals, but other items will be cheaper after Black Friday.  Here’s a few tips on what to buy and when.

Online shopping and coupon site RetailMeNot has shared with us their research on what items are well-priced for holiday sales and when is the best time to buy them.

Things that you should buy in November

o Beauty

o Cookware

o Electronics (just check out the deals at Target, Best Buy and Walmart to see for yourself. It’s an electronics price war.)

o Accessories & Shoes (we agree, Black Friday is a bonanza of  deals for fashion accessories.)

Things that you should buy in buy in December

o Champagne (Champagne is better priced as we get closer to Christmas and New  Year’s)

o Toys

o Golf

o Winter Apparel

Black Fridays Savings vs. Cyber Monday Savings.

But how does Black Friday compare to Cyber Monday (or really Cyber Week? )   According to RetailMeNot, Cyber Monday will deliver the best deals to consumers without the in-store mayhem that can happen at Black Friday as consumers go crazy trying to get deals , especially door busters.

When you consider that the savings are better on Cyber Monday, it’s a shame any retail stores are open on Thanksgiving and that folks might head to the store in-stead of spending time with their families.

According to some retail watchers “Black Friday might not even make it into the top three shopping days,” said Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners in an article in the New York Post.  In the last few years, the Saturday before Christmas — this year Dec. 16 — has been the busiest ka-ching day, Johnson said.