It's almost Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when stores roll out all those incredible early morning deals.
But it turns out there are a lot of myths about that day that are simply untrue.
And it's good to know them before you fight those crack of dawn crowds.
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The website "Deal News.com" analyzed recent Black Friday sales over the past several years and concluded that many things we believe about that day are no longer true.
Top Black Friday Myths
- Myth: Deals start early Friday morning.
No, some items are sold out by 6 a.m. And with Walmart, Kmart, Sears, and Toys r Us now opening on Thanksgiving, you may find some of the best deals when most of us are still eating our turkey and pumpkin pie.
- Myth: Doorbusters are almost free.
No, Deal News says they are just a few discounts designed to create a frenzy. In some cases, it found, those Friday morning doorbusters were just 10 to 20 percent off the standard price, hardly worth standing in line for.
- Myth: It's worth camping out overnight.
No, in most cases, Deal News says you can find the same prices without the crowd later, such as the following weekend.
- Myth: Black Friday prices are the lowest of the year.
No, they are often lower later, often falling further the week before Christmas.
- Myth: Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year.
No, it's actually the 3rd or 4th busiest. The busiest day at the cash register (and the day the mall parking lot is the most full) is the Saturday before Christmas, when everyone is scrambling to buy gifts.
Doesn't that Stink?
And from the "Doesn't that stink?" file, the biggest myth of all surrounding Black Friday, one concerning HDTV's.
Giant HDTV's are big moneymakers for stores the day after Thanksgiving. You see people wheeling them out of the store as if they were free.
But DealNews.com says it's a myth that prices are slashed on all TV brands on Friday: Doesn't that stink?
It analyzed the sales over recent years and says Black Friday is a good day to buy an "off-brand" HDTV, like a Vizio, Westinghouse, Zenith, Emerson HDTV, but not a day to find the biggest markdowns on a Sony, Panasonic, or Samsung, the top rated brands.
Bottom line: Yes, you can still get great deals on Black Friday. But you can often get the same deals on other days, without the hassle.
So shop smart, and don't waste your money.
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