Study: Black Friday Not The Best Time To Shop For Toys
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Parents looking for the best deals on toys for their kids' Christmas gifts can sleep in the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday.
CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports the biggest savings on toys won't be available until a couple weeks later.
Teresa Bothur was surveying toys at Target on Friday, but won't buy until later.
"Probably, my most that I always do is Black Friday," she said. "You always get the best deals on Black Friday."
That's the conventional wisdom, but researchers at dealnews.com tracked Black Friday sales for the last couple of years, and concluded for the best deals on toys, shoppers should bypass Black Friday.
"Black Friday isn't really created to give the best deals to the consumers; it's to get money during the holiday season," said dealnews media editor Jeff Somogyi.
According to dealnews, discounts on toys during Black Friday average 57 percent, but if you skip the busiest shopping day of the year, you'll save as much as 63 percent later.
"If you want the best price on toys this holiday season, it's best to wait until the week of December 9th," Somogyi said. Even the hot toys like Let's Rock Elmo will be cheaper closer to Christmas.
"As the season progresses, they'll realize that they might have certain stock of things that need to be sold, and that's when the prices will start to drop," he said.
But when your little princess is already crying for Lalaloopsy doll, mother Cherly Menke said, "You just pay what you need to pay, instead of waiting to see if you can get a better deal.
If you're willing to live with the anxiety of waiting for the best deal, toy experts suggested signing up for email alerts at several websites.
That way you'll know immediately when the toy you're looking for is on sale.
You can also click here for dealnews.com's original features.
