Black Friday Not Always the Best Time of the Year to Find Deals

According to the Huffington Post, Black Friday isn't always the best day of the year to find good deals, and some popular holiday season gifts, like electronics, toys and jewelry, might have better prices on other days of the year.

The research company Decide Inc. looked at consumer prices to see if Black Friday really offered the best deals you could find all year.

Much to everyone's surprise, they found that a 46 inch LCD Samsung television set could be purchased for an average of $1,159 in October from 2008 to 2011, but would be sold for $1,355 on Black Friday. The Wall Street Journal wrote an extensive article discussing how retailers plot marketing strategies, concluding that the vast majority of retailers prefer to offer all kinds of attractive deals and discounts throughout the season, rather than restrict themselves to just one day.

However, there is more good news. Because Decide Inc. didn't track in-store prices, their statistics did not take limited quantity doorbusters into account, which can still be considered the best deals available all year, if you get the chance to make a purchase. Some items have the best prices at the very beginning of the holiday shopping season, which is typically around October, before retailers raise the prices for the winter season.

The research company also tracked the average prices of various other popular items, including Citizen men's black watches, which were found to be cheapest in March, rather than on Black Friday. Electronics and jewelry tend to become more expensive as Christmas draws near, and the best time of the year to buy a TV, according to Decide, is October.

This statistical information may confuse bargain hunters who had been anxiously waiting for Black Friday to come, but just because some items may be cheaper on other days of the year does not mean you won't find very attractive deals on Black Friday as well. Sites like gottadeal.com and blackfriay.com monitor current offers from popular retailers, which can help consumers identify the best deals on products of interest, no matter when they occur.

Sources:

huffingtonpost.com
wsj.com