Buy now or wait: TVs, laptops, toys and winter coats
Prime Big Deal Days ended last week, and the next big round of discounts is Black Friday on November 27 and Cyber Monday on November 30. Adobe expects discounts to reach about 14% off list in early November, 21% just before Thanksgiving and up to 30% during Cyber Week. So for most big purchases, patience pays this year. Here is our read, category by category.
Buy now or wait
TVs Wait
Adobe forecasts TV discounts peaking on Black Friday at up to 23% off list, the deepest point of the season for TVs. If you need one sooner, check the set's price history: if it is already at its usual low, the extra savings from waiting may be small.
Source: Adobe holiday forecast, Sep 2026
Laptops, headphones and other electronics Wait
Cyber Monday is the forecast peak: up to 30% off list for electronics and 23% for computers, compared with about 19% at Prime Day. Unless something you want is at a price-history low right now, this is the category where waiting six weeks is most likely to pay off.
Source: Adobe holiday forecast, Sep 2026
Toys Wait
Toys have one of the deepest forecast discounts of the season, up to 29% off list, and Black Friday is the expected best day. The exception: if a toy is the one everyone wants this year, buy it when you see a fair price, because popular toys can sell out before the sale.
Source: Adobe holiday forecast, Sep 2026
Household staples and Amazon devices Either way
Everyday items like cleaning supplies and pantry goods rarely get much cheaper later in the season, so there is no reason to stock up early or hold out. Amazon's own devices usually hit their lowest price of the year at Prime Day, and Black Friday tends to match it rather than beat it. If one hits its usual low again, take it.
Winter coats Wait
Outerwear is usually cheapest in post-holiday clearance in late December and January, not on Black Friday. If you need a coat now, buy what you need; if it is for next year or a nice-to-have, wait for clearance.
Shopping tip: Ignore the crossed-out price
A big "was" price is not proof of a deal. Consumers' Checkbook tracked 25 retailers for six months and found that at most stores the discounts ran almost nonstop, so the "regular" price was rarely charged. A former FTC consumer protection official says inflating an original price before a sale breaks federal law, but enforcement is rare. What works: check the item's price history before you buy and compare the sale price to what it has actually sold for, not to the list price. That is how we check every deal we post. If a store's sale price looks misleading, you can report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Source: Gray News, Jul 2026
Black Friday is Nov 27. Know what to buy now and what to wait on.
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