Lauren's List: Black Friday Vs. Cyber Monday, Know When To Buy
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Some people love to hit the malls on Black Friday, while others prefer to shop from the comfort of their computer on Cyber Monday.
Deciding which day to dish out your dough should really depend on what you're in the market for.
Today's "Lauren's List" compares Black Friday to Cyber Monday, and what to buy which day to get the most bang for your buck.
- TVs: If you're looking to snag a 4-K TV on the cheap, you'll want to shop earlier than later. Black Friday will have more deals and a wider selection than Cyber Monday when it comes to televisions. A tip for TV buying during the holidays: sometimes the biggest doorbuster deals aren't the greatest bargain. The price may look low, but the quality may also be significantly lower than other models. Try to calculate savings based on the percentage of a discount, not the actual dollar figure.
- Travel: Daydreaming about a nice, relaxing vacation after the hustle and bustle of the holidays? You'll want to wait until Monday to make reservations. Experts say airlines will be offering heavily discounted tickets on certain routes and flash sales on vacation packages. Many booking sites are eager to sell inventory for the post-holiday travel lull.
- Toys: If you have a lot of kids to shop for this year, or maybe kids at heart, you may need to brave the stores on Friday to get the best deal on the hottest items. The problem with toys is, the really popular ones sell out fast. So waiting until Monday hoping to get a deal online may lead to many "out of stock" alerts.
- Clothing: Finally, if you want to give clothes, or maybe just freshen up your own wardrobe, your best bet may be to wait until Monday. Rather than hunting through racks of your size only to find that particular items aren't on sale, online retailers like ASOS, Old Navy and Gap are offering site-wide discount codes, instead of product-specific deals. It's more efficient than hunting for deals on individual items, and hey, time is money right?!
And don't forget, you might also find some great deals on Small Business Saturday, and you'll be supporting a local shop in the process!
Will you be shopping this weekend?
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If you have an idea for a future "Lauren's List", send it to lpastrana@cbs.com.
