Should I Buy This Big Thing During Cyber Week?

During the weeklong shopping frenzy that accompanies deals events like Black Friday, you can grab everything from TVs to treadmills at a discount. Last year, Deals editor and slumber-avoidance expert Nathan Burrow found the Tuft & Needle mattress, a budget option in our guide to the best memory-foam mattresses you can buy online, available for $430 in the queen size. He was in need of a quality guest-room mattress he could occasionally nap on himself, and the price was good enough that it fell below the $500 top of his budget.

And that’s the key to any discount. A truly great deal has to lie at the intersection of need, quality, and value—but need is the most important of the three.

The manufactured urgency of a shopping holiday like Cyber Week can often drive a big purchase in the frenzied haze of the moment, but it’s important to pause, step back, and ask yourself a question or two before you take your brimming virtual cart to checkout.

You can reasonably expect that at least one or two of our mattress, TV, laptop, camera, projector, treadmill, or office chair picks will be discounted on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. But an impulse buy can often lead to regret over spending big on a dust-collecting reminder of a hasty decision. So before you buy, ask yourself a few questions.

What’s my budget?

It doesn’t matter if a nonessential item is half off if you can’t afford it. Credit card interest and regret can quickly sour the momentary joy of immediate savings. Budgets are also relative. For some, our upgrade TV pick is a big purchase, but for others, our recommended “budget” option may be a big commitment price-wise. Regardless of your budget, our purchase advice for big-ticket items remains the same, but don’t overcommit or buy impulsively. Know the top of your budget when you consider these deals, no matter how good. Below is how we assess big-item pricing.

Is it actually a good deal?

High-dollar Wirecutter picks like TVs, mattresses, laptops, and large fitness equipment often see good or even great deals during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But those aren’t the only times they’ll see such discounts, and there’s reason to be cautious. We see a lot of good deals during big shopping holidays, but we see a lot of mediocre-to-bad deals too. Whether it’s raising the price in October to inflate the discount percentage in November or just an average deal we see once a month, there are a lot of pitfalls, even for the wary shopper. To save you time and effort, our Deals team carefully researches price trends and deal histories on all of our picks. So if you see the item featured on our Deals page during our Cyber Week coverage, we’ve already verified that it’s a deal worth spending money on.

If you’re evaluating a deal yourself, here are a couple things to keep in mind. Make sure to consider the percentage you can save when you’re looking at a deal. A $50 discount on a $100 item makes it a definitive steal. But on a $1,000 item, $50 isn’t a huge markdown—and the sale might be worth skipping if you’d value the extra time to calmly think the purchase over.But if it’s an item that rarely goes on sale or one you’re willing to buy at full price, sometimes a relatively small drop in price can be worth jumping on, especially if we haven’t seen the price drop significantly lower (we’re looking at you, MacBooks and Sony TVs).

Another important note is that an item’s street price (the price it sells for on most days) is almost always different from the list price (the price the manufacturer recommends). Although it can be difficult to determine the street price on some items, you can always check the price history on websites like CamelCamelCamel. Or you can drop us a question via @WirecutterDeals on Twitter.

Amazon displays both the percentage and the dollar amount you save when it shows sale prices—but it bases those figures on the list price, which usually doesn’t give you the full story about how good the deal is. Our Deals team always makes sure to tell you both the deal price and the street price of an item, and tries to give context on how the deal compares to prices we see throughout the year and during other major holidays.

Will I use this?

If an impulse purchase is aspirational, it can feel especially satisfying in the moment, marrying the buzz of a big spend with the notion that you’re doing something good for yourself.

But you should make sure this big purchase is something you already had on your shopping list or something you would want even at full price.
When you see something tempting, first ask yourself whether that thing resolves a problem or satisfies a need. A treadmill won’t make you a competitive distance runner, a grill won’t make you the hit of the neighborhood, and an upholstered bed frame won’t result in you leaping out of bed feeling energized every morning. All of these things require more than just a big spend from you.

“I add things to an Amazon wish list, and if they are still on the list in three or four months I consider buying them,” said Wirecutter senior staff writer Chris Heinonen, who covers TVs. If you add a 4K TV to your wish list now, you have some time before Black Friday to consider whether you really want to take the plunge. You may find the price of your dreams on the model you’ve been looking for, but forcing a purchase isn’t totally necessary with February TV sales around the corner.

Is this a variation of what I’ve been eyeing?

If you want a specific TV, other models in the same line are worth considering to grab some additional savings. But be careful—although you can nab a variant that offers nearly all of the specs of your preferred model for significantly less, the quality and features can vary greatly even within the same brand. A logo isn’t necessarily a bulletproof indicator that you’re getting everything you want, as Black Friday often spotlights sales on stripped-down versions of TVs from popular brands. Some may even look like what you want, but lack the key features that make their nicer siblings great buys. You can reach out to our experts via @WirecutterDeals or @Wirecutter to see if a variant is worthwhile.

Can I just fix my old thing?

If you’re buying to replace a broken or worn-out item you already own, first check to confirm whether your old thing is under warranty. Warranties from reputable companies can cover common fixes or even get you a replacement if something is beyond repair. For example, a foam mattress less than five years old suffering from sagging or indentations may be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, and although such replacements can present a short-term hassle, it’s well worth the thousand dollars you could save. While you’re thinking about any substantial purchase, looking up the warranty and return policy of the item you’re eyeing can help confirm that the big purchase you have in mind is the right buy for you. This is especially true of online mattresses, which may not come with warranty and trial-period coverage if they’re not purchased directly from the manufacturer.

Sign up for our newsletter to get the best Black Friday deals on our tested picks sent directly to your inbox. Or see the latest deals now.