By                    David Nadelle

See: 9 Costco Brand Items That Aren’t Worth the MoneyFind: If Your Credit Score is Under 740, Make These 4 Moves Now

Shoppers will pour into stores in droves and place online orders beginning Nov. 25, and many will reap the benefits of holiday retail deals. It is likely, however, that just as many people will jump the gun and purchase items they could’ve bought cheaper at another time. To provide some examples, following are five things you should never buy on Black Friday.

More From Your Money: Choose a high-interest saving, checking, CD, or investing account from our list of top banks to start saving today.

Name Brand Electronics

The Black Friday hype machine goes overboard on electronics and home theater systems. Although there are tons of deals to be had on home appliances, televisions and other electronics, they are often on off-brand items or end-of-season brand-name product. TVs sell well on Black Friday and at Christmas, but they are particularly big sellers leading up to the Super Bowl in February, per BlackFriday.com.

“You’ll find that most doorbuster sales are actually for off-brand electronics,” said Sara Skirboll, shopping and trends expert at RetailMeNot, Best Life reported. “If you don’t know a brand’s reputation, you don’t know what you’re getting with your purchase — even though you might be spending a low amount now, it’s not worth it if you have to replace it in six months.”

Outdoor Furniture

You would think that Black Friday would be the perfect time to stock up on outdoor furniture. Taking stock of what is needed for the backyard summer season in the fall seems like a no-brainer. Unfortunately, the end of November is a little late for these particular items, per Best Life.

August is the best time to buy patio furniture. The end of summer sees retailers looking to clear out seasonal items they still have in stock. Selection might be smaller at this time, but prices will be lower, too. August is also a great time to seek out tons of great deals on end-of-season gardening equipment and barbeques.

Gift Cards

As online coupon tracker Save My Cent reported, the global gift card market was worth $295.2 billion in 2020 and is expected to grow annually by 5.9% between 2021 and 2027, when it is projected to be worth $440.7 billion, per MarketWatch data.

But it also noted that 48.28% of all digital gift cards in 2020 were sold in December. Far from a cop-out gift, digital and physical gift cards are a phenomenally popular choice of present but tend to trend cheaper in December, leading up to Christmas, Skirboll added. 

Mattresses

You can find deals on everything on Black Friday, but when it comes to mattresses, look to shop on official American holidays throughout the year for the best sales. Presidents Day in February, Memorial Day in May, the Fourth of July and Labor Day in September are all great times to replace a tired bed.

According to Mattress Advisor, May is an especially good time to get deals on expensive box springs and mattresses because companies are looking to offload models and clear out showrooms before the arrival of new stock in July. Likewise, retailers take advantage of the Labor Day long weekend and the end of the fiscal year in September to hold clearance events for discontinued models or less popular brands.

Take Our Poll: Do You Have an Emergency Fund Established?Dollar Tree: 5 High-Quality Items To Buy Now

Fitness Equipment

Cashing in on the annual post-resolution “New Year, New You” mantra, fitness brands push healthy lifestyle-related products, exercise equipment and fitness trackers (and bathroom scales!) in January. The same thing goes for gyms and weight loss programs, who often offer enticing discounts on memberships to coincide with the fresh start of a new year.