Buy these — the reliable wins
📺 TVs and home theater
The classic Black Friday category. Last year's OLED and QLED models drop hardest; look for 55" and 65" sets from LG, Samsung, TCL and Hisense. Best Buy and Walmart win on doorbusters; Amazon matches almost everything online.
🎧 Headphones and earbuds
Flagship noise-cancellers (Sony, Bose, Apple) reliably hit their annual lows. If you missed a deal in October, Black Friday week is your second (and usually better) chance.
💻 Laptops and tablets
Previous-generation machines see 30–40% cuts. Best Buy dominates doorbusters; Amazon has the widest selection. Previous-gen iPads and Galaxy Tabs are perennial winners.
🍳 Small kitchen appliances
Air fryers, espresso machines, stand mixers and Dutch ovens hit their lowest prices of the year — KitchenAid's mixer colors alone are a Black Friday tradition.
🧸 Toys and board games
The popular lists sell out early — buy toys in early November, not on the day. Board games routinely hit 40–50% off.
🤖 Robot vacuums and smart home
Roomba, Roborock and Shark models see some of the steepest percentage discounts of any category, and smart speakers/bundles are loss leaders.
Skip these — the fake-out categories
- New-flagship phones — rarely discounted; carriers use gift-card math that isn't a real discount.
- Brand-new releases of anything — released in fall specifically to sell at full price through the holidays.
- "Doorbuster" furniture and mattresses — the "was" price is usually fictional year-round.
- Generic accessories — cables, cases and chargers are cheap all year; a "50% off" sticker means nothing.
Where to shop for what
| Category | First stop | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| TVs & electronics | Best Buy | Walmart |
| Everything, biggest volume | Amazon | Target |
| PC parts & gaming | Newegg | eBay |
| Bulk gifting & bundles | Costco | Walmart |
| Tools & garage | Home Depot | — |
The 60-second checklist
- Pick three priority categories and set target prices.
- Install CamelCamelCamel or Keepa for price history on Amazon items.
- Ask our AI advisor whether a price is genuinely good before checkout.
- Buy doorbusters early; let everything else ride to Cyber Monday.