Black Friday and Cyber Monday have stretched into a full month of promotions, but not everything marked down is a smart buy. Some categories reliably hit their lowest prices of the year, while others look tempting on the surface but see better discounts later.
Here’s a focused look at where Black Friday 2025 delivers real value — and where your money is usually better spent at a different time.
Best categories to buy on Black Friday 2025
Across major retailers, the same clusters of products tend to carry the most aggressive, time-sensitive discounts.
| Category | Why it’s strong on Black Friday | Typical discount range | Examples in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big-ticket tech (TVs, laptops, headphones, consoles) | Lowest prices of the year on many models, plus exclusive bundles | ~30–50% off mainstream items; deeper cuts on select models | Hisense QLED 4K TVs, Sony Bravia 8 II TVs, Beats Studio Pro, Apple AirPods 4, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation bundles |
| Toys and games | Highly competitive discounts and fast sell-outs on popular lines | ~30–50% off core sets and kits | Nex Playground, Lego Classic brick boxes, National Geographic science kits, board games |
| Small home and kitchen appliances | Wide selection, strong markdowns, and seasonal utility | ~30–40% off common appliances; higher on select items | Keurig K‑Mini, Nespresso Vertuo Pop+, Dyson V11, Cuisinart air fryer toaster ovens, Dreo space heaters |
| Beauty, skin care, fragrance sets | Giftable bundles with real value vs. normal per‑item pricing | Roughly 20–40% effective savings via sets and vouchers | Sephora Favorites perfume sampler (with voucher), TruSkin Vitamin C Serum, holiday perfume and skin care kits |
| Activewear and select wardrobe staples | High-usage items finally drop below full-price “everyday” levels | ~30–50% off specific styles | lululemon Align leggings in “We Made Too Much,” Madewell belts, select sneakers and base layers |
| Patio furniture (off-season) | Retailers discount out-of-season outdoor sets heavily | Often 50–60% off vs. peak-season pricing | Sand & Stable Calhoun Acacia 4‑person patio sets and similar outdoor seating |
| Digital subscriptions and experiences | Promotional intro rates rarely seen the rest of the year | Up to ~50–90% off first-year rates | Hulu with ads, MasterClass annual plans, travel and local experience packages |
Tech: TVs, laptops, audio and consoles
For consumer tech, late November is still the main event. Major brands push down prices on:
- 4K TVs (including OLED and QLED models)
- Laptops and tablets
- Headphones and earbuds
- Game consoles and console bundles
- Speakers and smart home accessories
Flagship and upper-midrange TVs like the Sony Bravia 8 II 55‑inch OLED are dropping by hundreds of dollars, often in the 40% range. QLED sets from brands like Hisense are also hitting some of their lowest prices, especially when paired with retailer-specific promotions.
Headphones and earbuds follow the same pattern. Apple AirPods 4 are hitting “lowest price so far” territory, and over-ear models such as Beats Studio Pro are discounted sharply compared to list price. If you’ve been waiting for premium noise-canceling headphones or a new TV for gaming and streaming, this is the right window.
Game consoles themselves rarely see deep cuts, but Black Friday is when the best bundles appear: hardware plus one or more games and an online subscription for less than the combined price. Nintendo Switch packages, including bundles tied to new titles, are a prime example. Similar offers appear around PlayStation hardware as well.
Toys and games: high discounts, higher risk of sell-outs
Toys are one of the most volatile categories: the discounts are real and the inventory moves fast. Core brands like Lego, Barbie, Hot Wheels and major board-game publishers see headline markdowns, often close to half off normal pricing on key sets.
That dynamic now extends to tech-adjacent toys, too. Motion-based family systems such as the Nex Playground are trending holiday items; even when the discount isn’t massive, the bigger risk is that stock disappears and doesn’t return before the holidays.
For toys, the smart move is simple: once you see a strong discount on an item that’s already on your list, buy it. Waiting for a slightly better price is much more likely to end in “out of stock” than in real extra savings.
Small home and kitchen appliances
Smaller appliances get broad, meaningful markdowns in November. The category spans:
- Coffee makers and espresso machines
- Air fryers and toaster ovens
- Cordless vacuums and robot vacuums
- Space heaters and seasonal tools like snow blowers
- Smart scales and bathroom gadgets
Examples in 2025 include:
- Single‑serve brewers such as the Keurig K‑Mini and Nespresso Vertuo Pop+ dropping well below their typical sale prices.
- Dyson cordless vacuums like the V11 at roughly a third off, across multiple major retailers.
- Combination appliances like the Cuisinart air fryer toaster oven with permanent price cuts that outpace earlier-in-the-year promotions.
- Compact space heaters from brands like Dreo, discounted as colder weather sets in.
These products are common targets for shallow, year‑round “sales,” but the Black Friday window is when discounts stack up in a way that’s hard to replicate later. If you need one of these items within the next few months, Black Friday is usually the most cost‑effective time to commit.
Beauty, skin care and fragrance
Beauty isn’t always a bargain during holiday promotions, especially at the luxury end. The marketing looks loud, but individual items can be only lightly discounted while being framed as huge deals.
The better value sits in curated sets and samplers:
- Fragrance kits that include deluxe minis plus a voucher for a full-size bottle of the scent you end up liking.
- Skin-care bundles where the combined price is significantly lower than buying each product separately.
- Everyday staples like vitamin C serums and hyaluronic acid formulas at one of their best prices of the year.
Perfume samplers that include a redeemable certificate for a full bottle are especially efficient: you pay once, experiment with several high-end scents and then claim the one you actually want for daily wear. For skin care, this is a good time to restock formulas you already know agree with your skin, especially if they’re down 20–30% or more.
Where beauty is weaker: ultra‑premium tools like high-priced stylers often have cheaper, functionally similar competitors from other brands. In that corner of the market, “dupe” devices routinely undercut the headline names even when the premium tools are on sale.
Clothing and activewear
Everyday apparel doesn’t peak on Black Friday; December clearance and end‑of‑season events usually offer lower prices on many cold‑weather pieces. That said, there are targeted wardrobe buys that make sense now:
- High‑rotation activewear like lululemon Align leggings when they appear in the brand’s sale section at roughly half off.
- Simple but durable accessories such as leather belts, which rarely get deeper markdowns later.
- Thermal base layers from outdoor brands when they’re part of broader winter promotions and you need them immediately.
Fashion‑driven items that you don’t strictly need — impulse sweaters, trend pieces and novelty loungewear — are the clothing purchases most likely to be cheaper if you wait for late‑season clearance.
Patio furniture and off‑season outdoor gear
Large indoor furniture is usually not at its price floor in November, but outdoor sets are a quiet exception. Patio seating and conversation sets are off‑season for most of the US, so retailers are motivated to move that inventory during Black Friday promotions.
Acacia or metal-frame sets with cushions, like four‑person outdoor seating groups, frequently fall to a fraction of their original ticket price — often closer to what you’d expect during a dedicated clearance event. Investing in a solid set now means avoiding peak-season pricing when everyone else starts thinking about spring and summer.
Subscriptions, experiences and digital services
Black Friday is no longer only about physical products. Subscription and experience offers have become some of the standout values:
- Streaming video plans discounted heavily for the first year.
- Online learning memberships offered at roughly half price.
- Travel packages, hotel stays, and flights with limited‑time fare cuts around Black Friday and the following “Travel Tuesday.”
- Local fitness and wellness experiences bundled into promotional passes and gift cards.
For services you already plan to use, grabbing these offers effectively locks in a below-normal rate for months. Just pay attention to how pricing changes after the promotional period ends and set reminders before automatic renewals.
Categories and timing that are usually worse on Black Friday
Some big-ticket categories attract a lot of attention in late November but rarely offer their best long‑term value then.
| Category | Why it’s weaker now | Better timing | Notable exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mattresses | Similar or better discounts often appear during other holiday events | President’s Day, Memorial Day, brand‑specific promotions | Occasional large markdowns on specific models before or just ahead of Black Friday |
| Indoor furniture (dressers, sofas, tables) | Promos are real but not typically the deepest of the year | Late winter and early spring sales, clearance cycles | Singular steep deals on certain dresser or storage models when retailers overstock |
| Large kitchen and laundry appliances | Holiday prices often match, not beat, other big federal holidays | President’s Day, Labor Day, brand launch and closeout periods | Bundle rebates or gift card promos that line up with an urgent replacement need |
| General everyday apparel | Clearance after the holidays usually undercuts Black Friday tags | Late December and January | Wardrobe staples or specific items you need to wear immediately |
Mattresses are the clearest example. While some individual models do see big advertised cuts in November, industry‑wide, the most aggressive promotions cluster around mattress‑focused sale weekends in the first half of the year. If you don’t have an immediate need, it’s reasonable to hold off.
Similarly, large indoor furniture and major appliances are usually priced as well during other US holiday events as they are on Black Friday. If you’re already facing a broken dishwasher or an empty bedroom, a solid Black Friday price is fine to take — but it isn’t uniquely special the way tech, toys and smaller appliances often are.
How to decide quickly without overbuying
With so many overlapping promotions, the main practical risk in 2025 isn’t missing all deals; it’s spending too much on the wrong ones. A simple framework helps:
- Prioritize: Write down what you truly need or have planned to buy for months (for example, a TV upgrade, a vacuum, a few specific gifts). Those get first crack at your budget.
- Rank by urgency: Items that are likely to sell out or that you need immediately — toys, hot tech, seasonal appliances — belong at the top.
- Set a firm budget: Decide on a total and a per‑category cap before you start browsing; factor in tax and any shipping.
- Check the percentage, not just the tag: In tariff‑pressured categories like clothing, footwear, toys and electronics, a realistic “strong” discount this year may sit in the 20–30% band, with 40–50% reserved for select standouts.
- Watch shipping and return policies: Free shipping thresholds may be higher than you’re used to. Make sure you’re comfortable with return windows and restocking rules for big-ticket items.
Once a product on your list hits a meaningful discount and the model matches what you want, the safer bet this year is to act. Retailers are managing narrower margins, which often means tighter inventory on the best‑priced SKUs. Waiting another week for a hypothetical extra 5% off is more likely to end with “sold out” than with a dramatically better bargain.
The end result you’re aiming for is simple: you come out of Black Friday with a small set of high‑impact purchases you’ll use constantly over the next year, rather than a pile of “cheap” extras you never really needed.
