Black Friday 2016 Revealed: Why Those Great Deals Aren’t Really That Great

Black Friday 2016 seems to be a month-long event this year, but as the saying goes, bigger isn’t always better.

The truth is, all those great deals you’re seeing aren’t that great, which is why you may want to skip Black Friday altogether this year.

Yes, you can score some good stuff at a decent price, but for the most part, they’re not worth your time and energy.

These days, retailers are either recycling deals from previous years, offering sales you can get at other times throughout the year, or offering inferior products, resulting in deals that are anything but for shoppers.

And the reason why is a simple case of quantity over quality.

By offering sales throughout the month, from red light specials, 2-hour Thanksgiving eve ONLY offers, hourly lightning sales and weekly discounts, retailers have diluted their discounts.

You get less of a bargain, and the worst part is you may not even realize it thanks to all the smoke and mirrors.

Here’s why Black Friday isn’t always the best day to shop:

•Recycled Prices: Blogger Rebecca Lehman recently proved this theory, showing how ads for major retailers, including Target, Walmart, and Kohls, have been the same for the past 3 years.

For example, Target has listed the same black luggage for $49 from 2013-2015 and the Razor Scooter had hovered between $18-$19 for the same time period.

This is a bad practice, especially when it comes to electronics, which become obsolete quickly as new products roll out.

As reported in CNN Money, Office Depot has offered the same wireless printer for the past 2 years for the same $349.99 price tag. Target and Walmart have also had similar offerings on older electronics.

•Inferior Products: You may not realize it, but many of those big-ticket items that are on sale are a lesser quality.

According to CNN Money: ” major retailers, like Walmart (WMT) and Target, (TGT) have special products, like TVs or other electronics, manufactured especially for Black Friday. The prices are great, but the items are of lower quality.

In other words, you can get a 50″ for $150, but odds are you will need to buy another one next year.

•Same Old Sales: If you pay attention, you’ll see that many of these Black Friday deals have been offered at other times during the year. For instance, twice this year Amazon has offered their Fire 7″ tablet for $39, a price they also offered last Black Friday and are planning to offer again.

Why rush through Thanksgiving dinner for a deal you can get at another time, or stand on line for 3 hours for a price you can get next month?

Bottom line is, if you plan to shop during this Black Friday, shop wisely.

Unless it’s something you really need, you may want to wait.

Whatever you decide though, do your homework and stick to your budget.

Don’t get sucked in by the sales- shop smart and you’ll be okay.

Do you think Black Friday is the best time to shop?

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