These Retailers On Black Friday May Be A Waste Of Time And Money

Most Americans seem to have a love/hate relationship with Black Friday, so called because that’s when most retail stores go “in the black” or have a financial gain for the year. Immediately after Thanksgiving, sometimes morphing into Thanksgiving, retail stores advertise their presumed “best deals” of the year. While many of these may be true savings, there are many things to consider when “Black Friday” shopping. The first and most important is, are there significant savings for you to enjoy that counteract having to get up early and sometimes fight cold weather and crowds? Now, admittedly, some people thrive on the competition of crowds and consider it a challenge and delightfully fun. Some consider it a tradition that they enjoy with their family year after year. But remember that Black Friday has caused injuries from people busting store door down and stampedes, as previously reported by the Inquisitr, so shop with care.

So, before you decide to venture out, the best plan is to probably scout flyers for individual items you want and what time that store opens. Of course, if things seem violent, unstable, or there seems to be a fire or security risk, you should probably shop elsewhere — or go home and shop online.

Naturally, there are good deals and bad deals for Black Friday shopping. Good deals seem to be everywhere — what we hear less of are less-than-stellar deals and what makes them less than stellar. We hope to shed some light on this to save you time and money.

Wallet Hub has carefully looked at about 8000 major retail stores and found where you’re going to get the most bang for your buck and where you are not. JCPenney comes in first with an average discount of 68 percent, with massive savings in jewelry. So perhaps you want to make that retail store a priority. However, there are many that aren’t making the grade, and with black Friday shopping time being at a premium, you may choose to just stay away. Many consumers leave comments on articles that express disillusionment with Black Friday Sales, such as this poster on Wallet Hub.

“If only one could index these percent offs on BF to the typical discount offered by the retailer. Ex: if you buy anything at Kohls or JCP without a minimum 40% off, go see a doctor – you’re having a stroke!
Jewelry from these chains at 72% off…that’s only slightly better than the 60-70% off the other 364 days of the year.”

Whether or not that’s true, here are some retailers with the lowest savings advertised. Granted, savings are savings, but when one takes into account the crowd of Black Friday, these numbers may be something to consider.

1.) It’s probably not surprising that big discount stores haves the lowest percentage of savings of Black Friday. That’s not to say they aren’t worthwhile, but statistically they do not offer the biggest bang for your buck. Topping this list is Sam’s Club, with an average savings of 21 percent.

2.) Another large wholesale club makes the list — Costco at an average savings of 25%.

3.) Toys R Us doesn’t offer terrific savings with an average reduction of 32 percent.

4.) Big Lots already offers low prices, so it’s not surprising they don’t offer huge discounts on Black Friday. The average savings is 33 percent.

5.) Wal-Mart is one of the most frequented stores on Black Friday, but their savings deviation from the norm is not as impressive as other stores at 35 percent.

Of course, a lot depends on your personal budget and the items you seek, as well as if you are a discount shopper and not looking for name-brand items. These preferences matter greatly.

[Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]