Shopping in November: What to buy and when to find deals

Shoppers looking for Black Friday deals wait outside the Coach store at Cincinnati Premium Outlets Friday, Nov. 27 in Monroe. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Shoppers looking for Black Friday deals wait outside the Coach store at Cincinnati Premium Outlets Friday, Nov. 27 in Monroe. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Black Friday is just a couple weeks away, but should you wait until then for all your holiday shopping?

It turns out there are some things worth buying even before the big sales day. At Best Buy, we found shoppers already planning to grab the newest 4K TVs in the next couple of weeks.

Best Buy’s Tyler Curtis says 85-inch TVs will be the hot sellers this year, replacing 65-inch sets from the past few years, with other TVs now as large as 100 inches.

“This one is 100 from Hisense,” Curtis said, in front of a TV that was almost as large as a living room wall.

When to shop for the best deals

Consumer Reports’ Deals editor Samantha Gordon says TVs are one of the items worth waiting to buy until Black Friday.

“TVs especially are at their best price of the year on Black Friday,” Gordon said. “Hot items for the holidays, like headphones and laptops, and special kitchen items like a KitchenAid stand mixer or a Vitamix blender will all be on sale.”

That means you will want to shop on Thanksgiving night or the weekend afterward.

For nearly everything else, Gordon says, retailers will be rolling out deals the entire month of November.

And the sales are starting earlier than ever. Target, Walmart and Best Buy have already had some.

It’s worth starting your shopping early, Gordon says.

”What we tend to see is a lot of items are on sale already,” she said, “and a lot of those prices will remain steady throughout the month and throughout Black Friday.”

What if prices drop after you shop?

Wondering what to do if prices drop after you buy something?

Gordon says before buying a gift, check a store’s price adjustment policy. That way you can get the lower price if it drops in a certain time period.

Or, she says, save receipts, and buy it again for the cheaper price.

Area resident Jalen Harrington and her mom are starting their holiday shopping now, to avoid missing out on hot items.

“People should start early because the stuff is going to start going,” Harrington said.


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Click here to see all the early Black Friday deals tracked by Consumer Reports.

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