Your Guide to Black Friday Shopping
Laptops — sort of. The Wirecutter Deals team has seen a lot of good early Black Friday deals on Wirecutter picks like the Lenovo c740, the Lenovo c940 and the Lenovo X1 Carbon (8th Gen) from Best Buy and Lenovo itself. Mr. Burrow expects the same deals again on Black Friday, supply permitting, but whether you can wait that long comes down to your needs. Because it’s a bit of a tossup, follow the Wirecutter Deals team coverage in the run-up to Black Friday, and we’ll do the vetting of deals for you.
What to buy on Black Friday
Audio gear. Wait until Black Friday if anything audio-related — wireless earbuds, noise-canceling headphones, portable Bluetooth speakers, soundbars and more — tops your wish list. Mr. Burrow says it’s better to wait because the discounts will probably be steeper.
Apple devices. Apple rarely offers significant discounts on its products, but Mr. Burrow expects a few small drops on the new Apple Watch Series 6 and Series 6 SE come Black Friday. The Wirecutter Deals team has already spotted a few deals for the new 8th-generation iPad in the past few weeks, and it’s likely we’ll still see better deals closer to the big deals event. Even if you’re thinking of upgrading to the new iPhone (which probably won’t see markdowns), Mr. Burrow still suggests waiting: Many retailers, including Apple itself, will offer gift cards (rather than lower prices) in exchange for products purchased. It’s better to wait and collect a store gift card than to shop now and leave empty-handed.
Health and grooming. Mr. Burrow predicts that the price of razors, electric hair trimmers, toothbrushes and hairstyling tools will drop on Black Friday. Wait to nab these personal care products when they’re at their lowest.
Vacuums. Though many stores are now offering great early deals on all types of vacuums, it’s worth waiting until Black Friday to buy. Even if the prices don’t drop much lower, you’ll have more options to choose from: Whether you’re looking for a robot vacuum that does the work for you or a cordless Dyson stick vacuum, the deals will be there.
What to wait until 2021 to buy
Mattresses. There will be a few Black Friday mattress discounts this year, but the best deals historically arrive in February. Unless your mattress is keeping you up at night, wait it out. The prices will be better, and you’ll have a better range of options, too.
Outdoor gear. REI doesn’t participate in Black Friday, but it holds two yearly sales, in May and September. During those sales, you will have a wider array of discounted gear to choose from, and a variety of retailers to choose from, because Backcountry and Amazon typically match many of REI’s discounts. But if you can’t wait, Mr. Burrow expects to see a few small deals on outdoor gear this month.