Black Friday is the biggest consumer spending extravaganza of the year – at least in the United States. Whether you’re picking up some discounted Christmas gifts or looking for deals for yourself, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fantastic days to buy electronics.
It’s easy to get caught up in the hype and assume everything you see is an awesome deal. However, there are some things that you shouldn’t buy on Black Friday. Today, we’re going to make sure you know what NOT to buy on Black Friday so you can save your money.
The Microsoft Surface
Tablet computers are going to be a huge bargain on Black Friday. Those who still don’t own tablets might want to pick one up, and new Windows 8 tablets and Android tablets will be heavily discounted as a result.
However, some are suggesting that consumers hold off on buying the Microsoft Surface. The Surface is not likely to receive a big discount on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. But that’s not the real reason you shouldn’t buy it: instead, the price of the Surface will probably drop sharply over the coming months.
Currently, the Surface is sold at a hefty profit margin, which means Microsoft is making a crazy amount of money off each tablet sale. They can afford to heavily discount the Surface when the time is right – which might happen right before Christmas.
Of course, if Microsoft does announce big price cuts to the Microsoft Surface prior to Black Friday, it would certainly be a good time to buy. But if it’s anything less than a 20% discount, you should probably hold out for a few more weeks.
The iPad Mini
Apple doesn’t really participate in Black Friday sales. It offers small discounts on many of its products, and various electronics retailers might also offer discounts, but it’s generally nothing to get too excited about.
However, this year could be different. There has been a persistent rumor floating around the internet that the iPad 2 will briefly fall to $299 on Black Friday, which would make it $30 cheaper than the iPad Mini, which is smaller and much less powerful than the iPad 2. So if you want to buy an iPad on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, consider making it an iPad 2 – provided the price drops to $299. The iPad Mini simply isn’t worth it at that price level.
Digital cameras
Cameras are one of the hottest sellers on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But deal experts suggest that they’re not a great purchase for consumers to make. Camera manufacturers end their product cycles around this time of the year, and new models tend to be released early in January. At that point, the ‘old’ cameras (the ones on shelves now) will drop to lower prices than they would have ever sold at on Black Friday.
So if you can wait until early January for a new camera, expect to pick up some slightly-less-than-top-quality devices at insane discounts.
Conclusion
As with any type of deal shopping, choosing what to buy on Black Friday is an elaborate game of cat and mouse. You can wait and see how far tech companies drop prices on Cyber Monday, or you can hold out for a few more weeks and watch he price drop even further.
With the items listed above, big price drops are likely coming within the next two to three months, which means holding out for a few more weeks is most definitely a good idea for your wallet.
