The Best of the Best – Top 5 Things to Buy on Black Friday

Updated July 2026

Everything I’ve researched and read has said that you’ll get your best deal on Black Friday if you shop for televisions. But your best bet is on bigger (as in 50″ or more) sets or lesser-known brands. Here’s why. The 50″ screens became popular a few years ago but now have been upstaged by ever improving HD technology (and sometimes even 3D). In order to keep them moving out the stores, a lot of big box and specialty retailers will discount them. For example, you could find a 50″ LCD HD television by a lesser-known manufacturer at Walmart on Black Friday for $399 ($200 of the regular price) with free shipping (or store pickup availability).

More people shop for the better-known brands around Super Bowl time (which means prices go up then for those), so retailers will try to get you to buy a lesser-known brand now by serving up the discounts. And newer models of televisions usually get introduced at the beginning of the year, so retailers want to get rid of their existing inventory of current models to make space for televisions with the newest bells and whistles.

Black Friday 2013: The Numbers

The 2013 holiday shopping weekend showed just how massive this event had become. According to a National Retail Federation survey, shoppers spent an average of $407.02 over the Black Friday weekend, a figure that highlights the purchasing power packed into those few days. Online sales also surged: Adobe reported that U.S. online spending on Black Friday alone hit $1.93 billion. And the crowds started early. 45 million people shopped on Thanksgiving Day, a 27% jump from 35 million in 2012, per the NRF. A year earlier, total weekend spending had reached $59.1 billion, underscoring the sheer scale of this retail event. With those kinds of numbers, knowing where to direct your budget is key. Here are the categories that consistently delivered the strongest value in 2013.

1. Televisions

Big-screen televisions remain the headliner deal on Black Friday. The sweet spot is the 50-inch-and-larger category. These displays were once status symbols but have been edged aside by ever-improving HD and even 3D models. Retailers know that if they want to clear warehouse space before the new year’s model refreshes, they have to price aggressively. A 50″ LCD HD set from a brand like Westinghouse or Element could be had at Walmart for $399, a full $200 under its usual sticker. And that pattern isn’t just for no-name labels; even mid-tier brands like Vizio and Insignia saw sharp markdowns.

But there’s a twist. If you’re hunting for a big-name set from Sony or Samsung, Black Friday is rarely the time to pounce. More shoppers chase those brands around Super Bowl Sunday, which pushes prices up. Retailers front-load discounts on lesser-known brands in November to get you to buy now. As Steve Schaffer, CEO of Offers.com, explained to IBTimes:

Combine that with the typical introduction of new TV models every January, and it’s easy to see why November is clearance season for last year’s stock. If you can live without the most prominent logo on the bezel, the savings are real. Just be sure to check the warranty and return policy when buying a lower-profile brand, because support networks can be thinner.

There is a genuine downside to these doorbuster TVs that nobody talks about in the ads. The ultra-cheap 50″ sets are often stripped-down versions with fewer HDMI ports and weaker image processors. If you plan to connect a soundbar, a game console, and a streaming stick, you might run out of inputs fast. Picture quality also tends to suffer in rooms with lots of ambient light, since the panels on these budget models rarely get bright enough to overcome glare. This category works best for a basement or a secondary bedroom where absolute picture perfection isn’t the priority. If your living room has a wall of windows, the $399 special might leave you squinting.

2. Laptops

More consumers are shifting from laptops to tablets, so retailers have had to sharpen their pencil on traditional notebooks. Black Friday delivers some of the year’s lowest laptop prices, and you’ll see the steepest cuts on Windows machines from HP, Dell, and Lenovo. Yet the standout for 2013 was a rare discount on an Apple product. Best Buy listed a 13.3-inch MacBook Air for $974.99, a $125 discount off its normal retail price, with free shipping included. Apple gear almost never gets meaningful price breaks, so that deal alone made the category worth watching.

Other retailers piled on, too. Office supply chains like Staples and big-box electronics stores rolled out doorbusters on lower-end Chromebooks and entry-level Windows laptops. Just keep in mind that while the prices can be eye-catching, the discount is often tied to a specific configuration. Some of the cheapest models will have limited RAM or slower processors, making them fine for web browsing and email but frustrating if you plan to edit photos or run demanding software. If you’re comfortable tinkering with specs, you might also grab a model with solid bones and upgrade the memory yourself later.

For shoppers prioritizing portability and battery life, the tablet-laptop convergence meant even deeper cuts on convertible 2-in-1s from Asus and Acer. These devices often saw 20–30% off as stores tried to capture the buyer who hadn’t yet jumped to an iPad. The key is to decide what you actually need from the machine before you get seduced by the percentage-off sticker.

One group that should probably sit this category out: anyone who needs a laptop for professional creative work. Video editing, 3D modeling, or software development demand discrete graphics and ample RAM. The Black Friday models that get the deepest discounts are almost never configured for those tasks. You will find better pricing on workstation-class machines during back-to-school sales or manufacturer refurbishment events later in the year. Buying a $300 doorbuster only to discover it chokes on your workflow is a false economy.

3. DVDs and Blu-ray Box Sets

Physical media is under siege from streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Chromecast, and that works in your favor on Black Friday. Retailers know that their best chance to move a DVD or Blu-ray disc is to slash the price far enough that it becomes an impulse gift. The result: massive discounts on box sets, often 60% to 75% off.

One of the best examples from 2013 came from WBShop.com, the official online store for Warner Brothers Studios. The complete Band of Brothers Blu-ray collection, which normally retailed for $100, was priced at around $25. For Harry Potter fans, the 8-film DVD collection dropped to $47.39, down from $99. Similar pricing shows up across categories. TV season compilations, classic movie bundles, and even niche documentary sets all got the treatment. These deals are especially useful if you’re shopping for the history buff or film buff on your list who still appreciates owning a physical copy. Just note that stock is limited, and the deepest discounts often appear online rather than in-store, so set deal alerts or check early on Friday morning to avoid missing out.

Be honest about whether the recipient actually has a disc player. That sounds obvious, but plenty of dorm-room laptops and modern living room setups have ditched optical drives entirely. A $25 Blu-ray box set isn’t a bargain if it sits on a shelf unopened because the only screen in the house is a tablet. This category shines for gift-givers who know the recipient still owns a dedicated player or a game console that doubles as one. If you are not sure, streaming gift cards might be the safer bet.

4. Video Games

With new gaming consoles from both PlayStation (PlayStation 4) and Xbox (Xbox One) launching during the 2013 holiday season, retailers had every incentive to discount games and accessories. Don’t expect significant markdowns on the newest releases, but the prior generation’s titles and add-ons become prime Black Friday targets. Kohls, for instance, offered 20% off all video games and even steeper reductions on accessories like Nintendo Wii remotes and fitness add-ons.

Other stores, including GameStop, Target, and Best Buy, ran similar deals. A smart play: use online research to find the best advertised price, and then lean on the holiday price-match guarantees most major retailers offer. That lets you consolidate your purchases at one store without sacrificing the lowest per-item cost. Keep in mind that accessory bundles, extra controllers, charging docks, and gaming headsets, are where profit margins are highest, so those are the items retailers are most willing to discount. If your kids or friends are still enjoying older consoles, this is the time to stock up. And if you do manage to snag one of the new consoles, the accompanying game discounts may be thin, but you’ll still find a few standout software deals if you dig through the ads.

A word of caution for parents and gift-givers: the games that hit the deepest discounts are often the ones that reviewed poorly or sold below expectations. A $15 title isn’t automatically a steal. Some of these discs have been sitting in inventory for a reason. Spend two minutes checking the Metacritic score or reading a quick user review before you toss it in the cart. A bad game at any price still wastes the hours your kid spends playing it.

5. Kitchen Gadgets and Small Appliances

It can be easy to overlook, but Black Friday is the undisputed best time to buy kitchen gadgets, cutlery, and small appliances. Retailers see these as classic gift items, and they price them to move. Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate enthusiasts could land a Keurig Premier Single-Cup Brewing System at Staples.com for $199.99, $50 below the standard retail price, with free shipping to store. Savvy shoppers who did a quick web search often found an extra $20-off-$100 coupon floating around, potentially bringing the price down to $179.99.

Similar savings extended to stand mixers, blenders, toaster ovens, and knife sets from brands like KitchenAid and Cuisinart. Department store sites and warehouse clubs competed heavily in this space. Unlike electronics, kitchen appliances don’t see the same level of model-year turnover, so the discounts tend to be genuine reductions rather than clearance of soon-to-be-obsolete inventory. One caveat: low doorbuster prices can sometimes apply to budget-specific models made just for Black Friday. Those units may have less powerful motors or thinner materials. A quick check of the model number against the manufacturer’s regular catalog can save you from bringing home a stovetop equivalent of a shoddy off-brand television.

This category also carries a hidden trap for anyone shopping without a specific recipient in mind. A $30 slow cooker seems like a brilliant grab until you realize you already own two and nobody on your gift list cooks. Kitchen gadgets have a way of multiplying in cabinets, and Black Friday enthusiasm can turn into clutter fast. If you walk into this category without a name attached to each purchase, you are probably better off redirecting that money toward something on a concrete wish list.

How to Shop Smart on Black Friday

The sheer volume of deals can feel overwhelming, but a few simple habits make a measurable difference. The Better Business Bureau urges consumers to plan ahead by researching stores before shopping, paying with credit cards whenever possible, and keeping all receipts so that recipients won’t be disappointed if they decide to return gifted items.

Using a credit card isn’t just safer. It also gives you purchase protection and simplified dispute rights through the Fair Credit Billing Act. Major card networks like Visa, Mastercard, and American Express often extend warranty coverage or provide price-drop reimbursement during the holidays. Paying with cash or debit leaves you with far less recourse if a product is defective. And because many people carry a balance into the new year, keeping an eye on your credit utilization ratio is wise. A sharp spike in spending can temporarily ding your FICO Score, even if you pay the bill on time, because of how credit bureaus like Experian calculate utilization. Budgeting ahead and spreading large purchases across cards, or simply paying them off quickly, prevents a post-holiday credit headache.

Before you head out or start clicking, make a list of the specific items you actually need. Compare the Black Friday price to the Amazon and eBay prices you see in the weeks leading up to the event. And remember that retailers like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy all advertise price-match guarantees during the holiday season. If you find a lower price at a competitor, a quick conversation at the customer service desk can put money back in your pocket without requiring you to drive across town. Finally, keep receipts organized by taking a photo of each one on your phone right after purchase. That simple backup makes returns far smoother and gives you a digital trail for any warranty claims.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Black Friday the best time to buy a name-brand TV?

No. According to Steve Schaffer, CEO of Offers.com, the best time for name-brand models is Super Bowl Sunday, when retailers compete for sports viewers. Black Friday favors large, lesser-known televisions.

How much did the average shopper spend during Black Friday weekend 2013?

The average shopper spent $407.02 over the Black Friday weekend, according to a National Retail Federation survey, which also reported a total weekend spending of $59.1 billion in 2012.

What was the total online sales figure for Black Friday 2013?

U.S. online sales on Black Friday 2013 reached $1.93 billion, as tracked by Adobe Digital Index and reported by Oberlo’s compilation of industry data.

Are Black Friday laptop deals better than back-to-school sales?

Often yes, especially for non-Apple laptops. The growing tablet market forces deeper discounts on traditional notebooks. Apple deals are rare, making the 2013 Best Buy MacBook Air sale at $974.99 ($125 off) a standout.

What are the best items to buy on Black Friday besides electronics?

DVD and Blu-ray box sets, video games and accessories, and kitchen small appliances deliver some of the steepest percentage discounts. For example, the Band of Brothers Blu-ray set dropped from $100 to about $25 in 2013.

Should I use credit cards for Black Friday shopping?

Yes. The Better Business Bureau recommends credit cards for better purchase protection and easier returns. Card networks like Visa and Mastercard often provide extended warranties and price-drop coverage.

Does Kohls price-match during Black Friday?

Most major retailers, including Kohls, Best Buy, and Target, offer holiday price-match guarantees, so you can often secure the best price without visiting multiple stores. Always bring a printed or digital copy of the competitor’s ad.

When is the best time to buy video games?

Black Friday offers broad discounts on current-generation games and accessories, especially when new consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One launch. Brand-new releases, however, rarely see more than token savings before the holidays.

Are kitchen appliance Black Friday models lower quality?

Sometimes. A few doorbuster kitchen products are manufactured specifically for Black Friday and may use cheaper components. Checking the model number against the brand’s standard catalog can help you avoid a short-lived appliance.

How many people shopped on Thanksgiving Day in 2013?

According to the National Retail Federation, 45 million shoppers hit stores on Thanksgiving Day 2013, up 27% from 35 million in 2012, reflecting the growing trend of earlier holiday openings.