Does it make sense to wait until Black Friday?

Black Friday doesn't seem to be what it used to be, there were some deals last year but it seemed like there were better deals throughout the year last year than on black friday. Maybe because the economy isn't good, but I remember with BF seemed really special and was worth getting up at 3am.

Black Friday really is one of the better times to buy something I think. Of course, it always depends. For example, you'll probably see three or four model 40-46" TV deals on Black Friday where as if you just watch the forums, you'll see all sorts of models and prices pop up. So I guess as long as you're happy with the model you are getting, Black Friday is the time to buy it. I hope that all made sense.

TayDubb said: Black Friday is all about chances. You might find something you like at a dirt cheap price. They might only have a few on hand also. If I saw a good deal I would go for it personally right now because black Fridays recently has been a let down to me. Glad to have sites like FW and SD to use year around to help me
Have to agree. See a deal now then buy it now. The last couple BF's have not been very good for stuff I wanted.

Its really not worth going to the B&M retailers. Once upon a time they used to deals on great quality products. But these days the deals are on low quality products that were produced solely to be sold on Black Friday and probably wont last very long.

The last two years i've found that Amazon pretty much matches all the big box retailers for small things like movies and games, and have found good deals at some e-tailers like Newegg for quality electronics (I got $700 off an Onkyo Receiver from them last year). Last year was the first time in a long time that i didn't go to any stores. It was also nice to get my shopping done after at 12:01 am than getting up at 5:00 am and running to the store. Think i'll be doing the same this year.

"SD" = slick deals

check the ad scans before black friday and do some research online to see if the items are good deals or not...

How much is it worth to you to camp out waiting for hours hoping to get one of the few pieces a store has? I do not know where you are, but it can be VERY cold and dangerous to wait outside all night for a TV.

As others have said, you probably can get a real good deal on the TV you want if you follow the forums.
I'm just guessing based on recent past experiences, but I would expect a $1000 item to only have a $100-$200 price break on BF. Considering a typical sale is 20% and typical electronic sales vary 10-20% (my opinion), I would get the TV when it's its on sale and not wait for BF.
We at FW wait for good deals and then pounce on them! You have to be quick before they go OOS. Over the past two years, I haven't seen BF deals to draw me out of bed, but you may enjoy such misery!

I only made my first black friday purchase last year and I barely pulled that off.. I had to wait like 7+ hours for the HP site to become reasonable to get 40% so no I wouldn't call it a guarantee.. still I hold a positive attitude they'll be some nice deals and I may score 1 or 2..

I think BF has lost a lot of it's luster and mystique with the advent of the internet...

#1. It used to be one of the many daily Thanksgiving traditions to open up that Thursday paper and see what surprises are in store. Sure you can still do that today, but the internet is too tempting to look early. Plus people talk for weeks before about it, even if you were to avoid the internet. And stores like Kmart that started opening up earlier than BF didnt help either.

#2. As others have stated, the internet has put serious downward pressure on prices year round. eBay, Amazon, Craigslist, Overstock, etc...

#3. Time has value. Is it really worth waiting hours for a $19 DVD player? Some things I would rather pay more for than wait that long, it's a better value to spend time more wisely for other things, or possibly shop for other deals. Especially on electronics, like I said Amazon has great prices anytime.

Last year, I actually spent the opening hours at Macy's getting clothes. If I remember correctly, most of the store was 40% off, plus 15% coupon from the paper, and when I got to the register the cashier threw another 10% coupon on the total. I got to give a lot of expensive clothes for gifts that I got very good deals for. Versus going to toys r us for $9 board games, etc etc. I guess it's all about what an individual values.

I don't think the BF sales are any worse than in previous years... they seem worse to us because we are much better at grabbing deals
For the average person they still seem great. In fact, BF seemed special to me BEFORE I joined the chunky wallet.... but a world of revelations changed my perception of "good deals"

Does anyone remember if the Sears BF ad was available to order online after midnight Thanksgiving? I want one of their doorbusters (KitchenAid) but am flying at 9:00a.m. that morning.