Wouldn't you rather wrestle over who gets the Thanksgiving leftovers?
Luke MacGregor/Reuters/CorbisIt's widely regarded that the best tech deals of the year happen on Black Friday.
It's also woefully inaccurate. Yes, there will be some bargains worth considering -- if not standing in overnight lines for -- but as you've probably discovered, stores large and small have turned a single day into an entire season of sales. (Check out the 23 best Black Friday deals we've found so far.)
In fact, I'd go so far as to say every day is Black Friday. As The Cheapskate, I see (and share) amazing deals all through the year, and I've developed a healthy skepticism when it comes to the day after Turkey Day. While marketing departments would love for you to think they're giving away the store, not every BF deal is really a deal.
How can you tell? Start with price-history site Camelcamelcamel, which shows you the highs and lows for just about every product Amazon sells. You should also check the Slickdeals Price Tracker, which provides a basic price history for several dozen stores -- just paste in the URL of the product.
Bottom line: If any given product has been priced lower (or the same) during the past year, it's a safe bet it will be again.
In the meantime, don't fall for the Black Friday hype when it comes to these tech items:
Mobile charges, phone cases, selfie sticks and other accessory-type items These things are on sale all...the...time. There's simply no way Black Friday can improve on a 10,000mAh mobile charger for $10 -- unless you're getting paid $10 to take it!
Bluetooth speakers Same story: Although you might be able to score a deal on really high-end speakers (the UE Boom, for example, will be $100 at Amazon and Best Buy, down from $180), which have more room for discounts, you're not likely to find a better price on BF than you will during other sales.
The first-gen Google Chromecast Still a great product, still worth buying -- but for the past few months they've been selling for $20 or less at Groupon and elsewhere. If you can find the new Chromecast for that price, go for it. Otherwise, sit tight, because the latter will be the $20 streaming stick a year from now.
No-brand tablets Back in June, I posed the question: Can a $37.99 tablet possibly be any good? That should give you some idea how low prices had already dropped five months ago. And now you don't have to settle for a no-brand model: Amazon's $50 Fire offers a surprisingly good tablet experience for the price -- though you're not likely to find it priced any lower on Black Friday (or, for that matter, anytime thereafter).
High-end PCs Sure, you'll see some low-end laptops priced to move, but high-end models -- gaming laptops, ultraportables and the like -- don't usually see big Black Friday price cuts. Rather, history suggests that these machines sell for less in the summertime, during back-to-school sales.
Anything super-new Hot new products -- the Apple iPad Pro, the Microsoft Surface 4 -- are exactly that: hot and new, meaning they'll be in high demand. Therefore, stores have little incentive to lower their prices. There may be exceptions here and there, but as a general rule, premium products don't see big cuts on Black Friday. You may find better deals come December or even early next year.
A 4K TV Black Friday does deliver its share of good TV deals, I will say that, and some of those will be 4K models. But despite my colleague Geoffrey Morrison's claim that 4K TVs aren't stupid anymore, I think the jury's still out. There's still precious little content to actually watch, even if you splurge on a 4K-capable streaming box (another product I recommend skipping -- see below). And the technology behind 4K remains in a state of flux. Maybe next year it'll make sense, but right now I'd still stick with a 1080p TV.
The new streaming boxes The new Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku 4 sell at a premium -- $100 and up -- while offering few must-have amenities. Indeed, you could buy three Roku Streaming Sticks for less than the price of a Roku 4, and still enjoy a top-shelf streaming experience. Meanwhile, Black Friday discounts will be minuscule; even Target's 25-percent off the new Apple TV still leaves you with a $111 price tag. These models will eventually sell for less -- it just won't happen this Friday.
What are your thoughts on the state of Black Friday and whether or not there are any real deals to be had? Hit the comments and let me know if you've spotted any bargains worth getting excited about. And stay tuned for Tuesday when I tell you the things you shouldn't buy until Black Friday.