What not to buy on Black Friday

Black Friday kicks off the holiday shopping season this month. With doorbusters and giveaways, the retail rush can put your savings plan in a tailspin. But before you pick up the latest HDTV, you'll want to know what items are good pickups during Black Friday, and which items are best left on store shelves.

What Not to Buy on Black Friday

1. KitchenAid Classic Plus 4.5-Quart Stand Mixer
"Target is pretty well-known for not only producing ads that look almost identical, but also pricing items at the same price year over year," said Chelsey Lawson of BFAds, a website that collects Black Friday ads and offers consumers tools for price comparison.

"In 2014 and 2013, Our Generation 18-inch Dolls were $20, Razor scooters were $19 and the KitchenAid Classic Plus Stand Mixer was $199," she added. But while you might save on Our Generation Dolls and Razor scooters, you can buy the KitchenAid stand mixer now for $189.99, a savings of $10.

2. Tools and Other Backyard Essentials
"The best tool sales usually occur during the week before Father's Day," said Mark Di Vincenzo, author of "Buy Ketchup in May and Fly At Noon," among other titles. "You may find some tools on sale on Black Friday, but they won't be huge discounts."

Stores like Home Depot might also offer the same Black Friday deals on the following Father's Day, when crowds are much less chaotic. What's more, you're liable to find a greater selection of tools and gear on sale during the summer months, when there's high demand for grills, lawnmowers and other backyard essentials.

This Black Friday, Lowe's is offering its Porter-Cable 4-Tool 20-Volt Max Lithium Ion Cordless Combo Kit for $199, down from $239. The same kit can be found on Amazon refurbished for $164, a savings of $35.

3. Toys
True doorbusters on toys are likely to sell out first and fast on Black Friday. Smart shoppers might be better off online, especially when it comes to finding deals that don't involve sprinting through department store aisles on Nov. 27. For example, Half Price Books' 2015 Black Friday ad offers Funko Fabrikations Chewbacca and Boba Fett sculptures for $19.99, but both toys can be found on eBay for less, with Chewbacca selling for around $12, a savings of $8.

4. Coats and Other Winter Wear
If you didn't shop for low-cost winter items during the summer, you might need to wait until after Christmas to get the best deals. In general, coats and other winter items "go on sale starting in January, when retailers assume most people have already bought their winter coats, gloves and hats," said Di Vincenzo.

Sweaters are an exception to this rule, which Di Vicenzo said go on sale the day after Christmas. According to his research, the day after Christmas is a great time to find deals on different types of clothing if you are willing to fight through crowds returning holiday rejects.

To save this Black Friday, keep an eye out on existing sales for coats. A Sears Black Friday ad, for example, advertises a Dockers men's wool coat for $85.50. JCPenney lists the same coat for between $69.99 and $79.99, saving you between $5 and $15.

5. Gift Cards
If you want to do all of your holiday shopping on Black Friday, it can be tempting to pick up gift cards for the hard-to-please people on your list. But buying discounted gift cards on the web before you run into the store on Black Friday can help you save.

Websites like Gift Card Granny offer discounted cards for a vast array of retailers, restaurants and more. You can use those cards to save on Cyber Monday deals or pack them in a cute holiday box to give as gifts. After all, no one will know you snagged them secondhand.

3 Black Friday Tips for Saving Money
The National Retail Federation predicts November and December sales, excluding auto, gas and restaurant purchases, will climb 3.7 percent over last year, up to $630.5 billion. While some experts agree savvy shoppers can get deals if they arrive early, there are times when Black Friday shopping doesn't pay off.

1. Avoid Buying for the Sake of Buying
"Generally speaking, the biggest and most common Black Friday mistake that shoppers make happens because they didn't get to stores soon enough," said Di Vincenzo. "The things they wanted to buy sold out in a few minutes and they figure since they either stayed up very late to go shopping or got up very early, they can't return home empty handed. So they end up buying something they didn't really want because it's on sale or they buy something that's not on sale at all."

2. Research Sales and Avoid Electronics
Taking time before Thanksgiving to research promotions and compare prices online is critical to identifying the best sales and deciding what you should and should not be buying on Black Friday. Off-brand computers and tablets are likely a bad deal because their performance matches their low prices. Consumers should also be wary of sales on smartphones, according to Lawson.

"Shopping Black Friday is an exciting time and can cause consumers to get caught up in the hype of a really good sale, and then fall into a pit of bad choices," she said. "We have definitely seen our fair share of bad deals, such as outdated electronics. The new iPhone 6S is out, so any ads that feature an iPhone 4 or lower — bad deal."

3. Be Wary of Holiday Giveaways
Experts also caution consumers against being drawn in by holiday handouts. Deals should be the driver to your Black Friday shopping spree, not giveaways.

"There are stores that offer giveaways and promotions to lure people in. In 2013, Old Navy offered $1 million to a customer. The only catch was that they had offered the same thing in 2012 and then never had a winner," Lawson said. "We also see that JCPenney offers snow globes every year — except 2012 — which seems to be a major draw for some collectors. Some stores offer coupons to the first in line, or bags filled with goodies. However, the savvy Black Friday shopper is there for the deals."

From GoBankingRates.com: 5 Black Friday sales that aren't worth it