Which of Target’s Black Friday Deals Should Shoppers Avoid?

Like most retailers, Target is advertising big, splashy sales during Black Friday. You can expect to see tons of special stickers, lots of fanfare and gigantic “Sale” signs. It’s all designed to make shoppers feel as though they’re getting a great deal, but that’s not always the case. Which of Target’s Black Friday deals should shoppers go out of their way to avoid?

Electronics

Lots of electronic items will be on sale all day Black Friday, but not all of them will be worth your hard-earned cash, no matter how low their price. Take the Singing Machine Karaoke System on page 7 of Target’s Black Friday ad. At $30 off its original $89.99 price tag, this seems like a pretty solid deal on a fun gift item. Unfortunately, this isn’t necessarily true, if you’re to believe many of the item’s reviews on Target’s own website. The Singing Machine is currently rated at 2/5 stars, with commenters echoing one another’s complaints about microphones and video monitors that simply never work. It’s hard not to imagine that Target is trying to get rid of its stock of this crummy item, which – even at $59.99 – is likely to be a waste of your money.

Target will be selling DVDs for as low as $10 on Black Friday, and it’s perhaps their worst deal of the day. DVDs are on their way out – outpaced by newer media like Blu-ray and digital download – so they’re on sale pretty much everywhere, all the time. Walmart is likewise trying to get rid of a huge collection of DVDs during Black Friday, and some titles will be as low as $2. You’ll find DVDs for $3, $5 and $7 at Walmart, Kmart and Meijer throughout Black Friday.

Toys

Shop Target for toys during Black Friday, and you may pay more than you should. The chain is advertising the K’NEX Mario Kart Standard Kart Bundle for just $12.99, a seemingly huge bargain. But there’s a reason this item is deeply discounted for the shopping holiday: it’s old. Mario Kart 7 was released in 2011, and this particular product has received many poor reviews on Amazon. According to many consumers, the creations don’t hold together after they’re built. The bottom line: save your money for newer, better or cheaper options.

Small appliances

Kitchen appliances are high on everyone’s gift list for Christmas, but you might not want to head straight for that aisle during Target’s Black Friday sales. They’re selling a Mr. Coffee 12-cup Programmable coffeemaker for $19, a $10 savings, but at any price you may want to think twice about this coffee maker. It’s received some very poor reviews, several of which mention that it produces coffee with a strong plastic taste. This particular brewer sometimes malfunctions in spectacular ways – one customer’s model sprayed hot water across their counter when they tried to clean the machine.

Likewise, Target’s Hamilton Beach 2-slice Stainless Steel Toaster receives middling reviews, with many customers complaining that it toasts unevenly. At $12, down from $21.99, this item isn’t a huge gamble of your holiday dollars, but $12 for a product that performs poorly can still be $12 wasted.

Better deals to watch for

Target will be offering some great deals on Black Friday in the TV department. Shop here for your LED TVs, HDTVs and all the big-screen options you could want. Everyone is selling TVs during Black Friday, but Target is advertising plenty of outstanding discounts in this category, like the Westinghouse 40″ LED HDTV for $199.99 – a savings of $230.

It’s not always easy to tell when something is a good bargain. Big sales flyers, lots of decorations and percentage signs cause a frenzy of excitement. But when something is marked down by 50%, it’s not always because that product is popular and valuable. Compare sales and items across stores and check the reviews to make sure you’re really getting a good value. It’s easy to get carried away in the excitement of Black Friday, but keeping a cooler head is a much better way to shop.

via Business 2 Community http://www.business2community.com/trends-news/targets-black-friday-deals-shoppers-avoid-0697675?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=targets-black-friday-deals-shoppers-avoid