7 reasons shopping on Black Friday isn't worth it

REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Black Friday isn't all it's cracked up to be. 

While the day after Thanksgiving has long been considered the biggest shopping day of the year, in recent years Black Friday has lost its luster. And shoppers are catching on.

Last year, Black Friday sales fell 12% to $10.2 billion compared to a year before, according to ShopperTrak. Looking at the entire four-day weekend, brick-and-mortar retail sales fell by 10.4%, to $20.4 billion last year.

Here are seven reasons why you should feel free to kick back and skip the lines on Black Friday this year. 

Many Black Friday deals simply aren't worth it.

While there are some opportunities to save money on Black Friday, you can often find some of the most popular Black Friday items at lower prices at other times during the year, according to Kyle James, founder of Rather-Be-Shopping.com. 

James says fitness equipment and winter clothing will always be cheaper later in the winter, with fitness deals peaking in January and winter apparel prices plummeting as the weather gets warmer. Toys are actually significantly less expensive nine to 10 days before Christmas. And, though you may see dozens of television deals, now isn't the best time to get a new TV. 

"The problem is the brands you’ll find on sale are typically unrecognizable," James said. "If you’re a college student and looking for a disposable TV from Best Buy for your dorm room you’ll want to head out Black Friday morning. If you’re looking for a quality TV that will hold up for the long run, you’ll want to look for deals right after Christmas through Super Bowl Sunday."

Doorbusters are overrated.

Doorbusters are those heavily-hyped deals retailers offer on a limited number of products for a brief period of time. But those go really fast.

"If you're walking into the store at 8am on Black Friday looking for a very limited 'doorbuster' deal, you'll think it's completely overrated as the door-busters will be long gone," James said.

If you're into doorbuster deals, you need to be strategic and arrive early to claim the items you want. Otherwise, you'll probably miss the deals and end up spending more money on items you hadn't intended to buy. 

Retailers sell the same things every year.

Stores like Target, Best Buy, and Walmart recycle the same deals — down to the prices — year after year, the Wall Street Journal reported. As a result, there's little to look forward to for Black Friday regulars. 

"It’s as if they aren’t putting any time or effort into the Black Friday circulars, and just expect people to come out and shop no matter what," Ashlee Jackson told the Journal.