It's that time of the year again. It's time for deals and steals (referring to sale prices, not actual theft) at all retailers. All things holiday related, like people lining up outside stores, sometimes even camping out, for massive savings… kind of.
Nowadays, as many of us know, Black Friday usually means waiting in a ridiculously long line to either buy last years' model or a clearance product. Different articles show that many retailers recycle the same products/sales from previous years. Many of these products see inflated shelf prices and a resulting inflated promo that makes it seem like you're getting a huge savings. But when you take a look at pure net prices, these huge savings may not actually be that huge. With that said, there may be a better time to shop depending on what you’re buying.
Image credit: We Love Nola
Using convertible consumer notebooks with a Core i5 processor as an example, we see that there are 31 notebooks available that match that description within gap's retail panel. Among these 31, there are 9 notebooks with their lowest price occurring in November, as opposed to 22 products with a lower or identical price during the rest of the year (a significant portion occurring during the ever-expanding back-to-school time frame). The low prices during the rest of the year were, on average, $17 less than the low prices during November. Looking at clamshell consumer notebooks with a Core i3 processor as another example, we find 48 notebooks available. Among those, 35 have lower prices during the rest of the year than in the month of November. So while I can't say that the notebook you want will be cheaper during the rest of the year, it is more likely that you will find a better deal on a notebook during that time.
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When we take a look at TVs, specifically 4K Smart products within the 50-59" size range, there are 35 products available from January through November. Among these 35 products, 21 products have a lowest-occurring price during the month of November, while 14 have a lower or identical price during the rest of the year. The low prices during the rest of the year were, on average, $88 higher than the low prices during November. A majority of other segments display similar results. It probably does not come as a surprise to many, but it appears that Black Friday is the best time to find a good deal on a TV.
Using SLR digital cameras as our last example, we find there are 108 products available from January through November. Among those, 76 of them have a lowest-occurring price during the rest of the year, with the remaining 32 lowest prices occurring in November. While the majority of low prices occur during throughout the year, SLR digitial cameras actually display a $26 premium over the discounted prices in November. Most remaining digital camera segments display similar results.
Black Friday may be the biggest sales season of the year, but our data shows that there may be a better time to buy your favorite consumer electronics. Whether you’re looking for a new computer, TV, or digital camera, Black Friday isn't the only time to find the lowest price.
