What to buy (and skip) on Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2023

Retailers like Amazon, Target and Walmart pushed October sales as an early start to the holiday shopping season again this year. But only about a quarter of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days shoppers used the Oct. 10-11 event to buy holiday gifts, according to a survey of verified buyers from market research firm Numerator.

The rest might be waiting for Black Friday (Nov. 24 this year) to get the gift list going.

If that’s you, here’s a shortlist of what to buy (or skip) during the traditional start to holiday shopping, which is the sale period that includes Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23), Black Friday and Cyber Monday (Nov. 27).

Buy: TVs and big-ticket tech

This one is no secret, but you may be looking for confirmation: Black Friday is still the “sweet spot” for TVs, says Trae Bodge, shopping expert from truetrae.com. “Yes, we saw some TVs on sale over Amazon [Prime Big Deal Days], but I really think that we'll see better deals over Black Friday.”

Expect discounts on electronics like laptops, wireless headphones and sound bars at all the usual big-box stores. And if you need more time to save for the right size and model TV, the next best time to buy is around the Super Bowl.

Skip (for a couple of weeks): Toys

Toys aren’t off limits on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but you may save more if you wait a couple of weeks for when retailers start to sweat. It’s better to hold off on holiday decorations too, if you can.

Bodge says there’ll be better prices on kids' toys and holiday decorations as December wears on  "when retailers are going to be scrambling to get rid of that stuff to clear space for the new year.”

Buy: Small kitchen appliances

NerdWallet’s latest holiday sale price-tracking data shows Black Friday and Cyber Monday bring great deals on kitchen gadgets. Prices on the three kitchen items NerdWallet watched since late last year — which included a Ninja air fry oven, KitchenAid mixer and Nespresso coffee machine — hit bottom dollar last Cyber Monday.

The price of the KitchenAid Classic Series 4.5-Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer, for example, dropped to $220.99 at Target (down from its $329.99 retail price) last Cyber Monday.

Skip: Sporting goods

Some sporting goods are hard to wrap and hide. That may be reason enough to wait until closer to Christmas. Another reason is based on data from software company Adobe’s holiday season forecast for online shopping. The company, which analyzes U.S. e-commerce transactions across many retailers, predicts Dec. 4 will be the best day to get geared up for sports.

Buy: Winter apparel

In a bit of a twist, Bodge says Black Friday may bring better buys on winter clothes than are typically expected, possibly due to the weather staying warmer longer in many regions. Retailers fearing they’ll have too much supply could move sales on parkas, beanies and sweaters up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

“[It’s] notable because, in my experience, winter apparel is most deeply discounted in December,” says Bodge.

Skip (maybe): Tools, home improvement items

Many major product categories are fair game for good discounts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but you may want to double-check the price history before you order a new drill or circular saw.

“Tools and home improvement equipment tend to lag behind [other categories] in the percentage of discounts during the holiday season,” said Pandya.

That’s not to say all deals on tools won’t be good enough. If you’re unsure, try a coupon-finding browser extension like PayPal Honey or Rakuten, or a site like Camelcamelcamel.com, which tracks product prices over time.

Be careful taking on debt

NerdWallet’s 2023 holiday shopping report found 52% of Americans incurred credit card debt when shopping last holiday season and, among them, nearly a third (31%) have still not paid off those balances.

“If you're dragging credit card debt month to month, you should maybe use debit only or just cash,” says Bodge.