What NOT to buy on Black Friday: How to see past the hype and shop smart

TORONTO — Black Friday sales appear to seduce consumers with a number of can’t-miss deals, though industry experts say there are a number of merchandise categories that you’d be better off avoiding on Nov. 25.

Here are the best Black Friday deals in __canada and where to find them

Whether you took the day off, plan to hit the stores after work or want to shop online, here is a roundup of the Black Friday deals out there for Canadians. Read on

“One could argue that almost anything is fair game for Black Friday — even car dealerships are getting in on it,” said Bruce Winder, partner in Toronto-based consultancy Retail Advisors Network. “The great question is whether or not you are getting a deal. Some retailers are hanging their hat on some nominal discounts, versus offering 50 per cent to 60 per cent off. But a fair amount of people do their homework now, and consumers are becoming wary of retailers’ tricks.”

The biggest trick may be having a sale in the first place. Marketers have long known that seeing a “sale” sign makes many people feel as though they have been given permission to spend freely; others feel that they are doing something virtuous in getting a deal. Fear-of-missing-out syndrome may also be at play. “A lot of the hype around Black Friday is driven by a sense of urgency on missing out on a deal, since it is so heavily advertised and talked about,” said Chris Walsh, industry expert at Fusion Retail Analytics in Toronto.

An analysis by personal finance website WalletHub looked at a number of Black Friday discounts in key categories, comparing prices from other times in the year with those on the annual shopping event. The worst discount came on jewellery, followed by apparel and accessories and consumer electronics — two of the most robust categories when it comes to consumers searching for Black Friday deals.

Here are a few other sub-categories consumers might want to take a pass on for the time being, according to industry experts.

1) Holiday décor and paper: Seasonal trinkets frequently get marked down to lower price on Black Friday, but any bargain hunter knows that a string of Christmas Lights or wrapping paper will be marked down by 70 per cent to 90 per cent come January.

2) Furniture: There are come decent furniture deals out there on Black Friday because furniture is a higher margin category, more flexible for markdowns.

3) Fitness equipment: The busiest month for fitness equipment purchases is January as consumers seek to redeem themselves for calorific holiday indulgence and make New Year’s resolutions. According to Consumer Reports, the deals for treadmills and elliptical trainers are far better in June, when people who are still jogging can just as easily go outside.

Related

• Black Friday deals 2016: The best bargains in Canada and where to get them
• Inside the shopping extravaganza that Black Friday has become in Canada
• Move over Black Friday, China’s Singles’ Day rakes in record $15 billion in sales — with hours to go

4) Gift cards: While some consumer web sites such as Gift Card Granny and eBay offer discounted credit cards, they rarely sell below their face value at retail, even though they are one of the top holiday gift items in Canada.

5) Snow tires and seasonal equipment: Tire dealers typically offer incentives and sales on tires early in the season — think October — to remind customers to get their tires checked and changed with the season. And while some snow has fallen in Canada by November, snowblowers and shovels don’t get discounted in a significant way until many months later.

6) Winter outerwear and boots: Consumers might see discounts of 25 per cent on selected down-filled parkas and boots, but the real deals don’t come out until clearance season in February and beyond, as retailers realize the diminishing likelihood of selling the goods at full price.

7) Home improvement: “It’s not an opportune time for anyone hoping to do home renovations to get a Black Friday deal,” said Michael McLarney, the North American Retail Hardware Association’s managing director for Canada. Hardware or home improvement products are not sold at a big profit margin compared with other merchandise categories. However, home improvement retailers such as Lowe’s and Home Depot carry major appliances, and many of those do get marked down on Black Friday, McLarney added. “Those are big ticket, and have room for reduced margins.”