Black Friday 2021: If shopping early this holiday season, experts advise waiting to purchase these items

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The holiday shopping landscape has shifted drastically in recent years, with many of the most popular retailers now offering various Black Friday deals in the days and weeks leading up to the biggest shopping day of the year.

While it can be tempting to get a head start on your holiday shopping in early November, experts say that there are certain items that are worth the wait, given how deeply-discounted they’ll be on Black Friday.

“All your favorite stores offer some of their top deals during this shopping extravaganza, and if you’re a smart shopper, you can get some truly awesome stuff at insanely low prices. It makes it easy to complete your holiday shopping for less (and treat yourself to a little something at the same time),” said Shannon Flynn of BlackFriday.com.

Here’s a look at some items you’ll want to wait until Black Friday to purchase, according to experts.

SMART DEVICES

In recent years, smart devices like the Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple HomePod have been among the most popular holiday gifts, with the companies offering deep discounts in hopes of dominating the smart home market.

“Thankfully, consumers benefit the most from these kinds of brawls, with loads of retailers heavily discounting older generation models and in some cases, even newer models. If you’re in the market to smarten up your home with these voice assistant devices, Black Friday is your best bet for the best deals,” Flynn said.

FOOTWEAR

Unbeknownst to many shoppers, Black Friday and Cyber Monday often offer some of the best sales on footwear, meaning consumers may want to hold off until later this month to snag the new pair of kicks on their wish list.

“If you’re eyeing any kind of sneakers, make a point to check out several footwear stores on Black Friday and Cyber Monday for the best pricing of the year,” said Flynn.

VIDEO GAMES

As is the case every year, shoppers can expect major savings on some of the most popular video games on the market on Black Friday. While some companies only offer deep discounts on older items, gamers can often find sales on some of the most recent releases, whether it be in-store or online.

“Even games that are less than a month old tend to get discounted for this shopping holiday, so if you can wait a few weeks to pick up the hottest titles, you could save a bundle,” Flynn said. “You can find these discounts at retail stores and digital sources like Xbox Live, the PlayStation Network and Nintendo’s eShop.”

INSTANT POTS

Those looking to step up their game in the kitchen this holiday season should keep an eye out for Black Friday sales from Instant Pot, the electronically-controlled multi-cooker brand that makes it easy to chef up thousands of recipes.

The company offers various sizes and models of the all-in-one cooking appliance, with massive discounts each year during Black Friday sales events.

ROBOTIC VACUUMS

Shoppers can make cleaning the house for the winter holidays easier than ever by taking advantage of Black Friday deals on robotic vacuums, like the popular Roomba. In some cases, not only will consumers find deep discounts, but they might also come away with some extra funds to use on other items.

“Retailers often slash prices on these devices on Black Friday, and they sometimes offer other incentives like high-value store gift cards,” Flynn said.