ST. LOUIS — With Black Friday and Cyber Monday now in the rearview mirror, you might be wondering if you can still find good holiday deals. Consumer Reports says not to panic, sales are still plentiful if you know what to buy and where to shop.
Whether it's major holiday gifts like pricey tech and home goods, or more affordable stocking stuffers, December is one of the best times to find a sale on almost anything. Consumer Reports tracks the prices of many of its top tested products all year long, so it knows exactly when they go on deep discount.
Here are the top products to look out for in this special holiday edition of the Best Time to Buy.
"We are seeing a lot of the Black Friday, Cyber Monday deals continuing in the early days of December," said Samantha Gordon, Consumer Reports shopping editor. "They may not last all month long so the earlier you can shop the better. But we're seeing Black Friday prices still or prices that are very close to what we saw over the Black Friday weekend."
First up, headphones. Consumer Reports found Sony wireless earphones for $248 at Abt Electronics, Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. While a bit of a splurge, Consumer Reports said they are among the best wireless noise-canceling headphones they've tested.
Next, kick your favorite recipes up a notch with a new cookware set.
A Cuisinart 12-piece set is now $220 at Amazon. Consumer Reports said the nonstick cookware set aces all the tough tests.
And if you're a coffee-lover, you might perk up to this sale.
A Ninja Specialty Coffee maker is now on sale for $120 at Amazon and Best Buy. The coffee maker does a lot more than just brew coffee, and it scores well across the board in Consumer Reports' tests.
Next, keep your life connected with a new smart speaker. The 4th Generation Amazon Echo is now $60 at Amazon, Best Buy, Crutchfield, Lowe's, Staples, and Target.
And finally, end the year right with a big upgrade to your living room.
"Earlier in the season we spoke with a lot of industry experts and analysts who said that the best deals were going to be on larger TVs — 65 inches and bigger," said Samantha Gordon, Consumer Reports shopping editor, "and we did see a lot of great deals on those big-screen TVs in November, and they are continuing into December."
Consumer Reports found a Samsung 65-inch 4K TV for $550 at Best Buy and Target. The 4K smart TV is internet enabled and scores 'very good' for color accuracy and 4K UHD picture quality.
And because of the supply chain issues affecting inventory and shipping, the items you want may be out of stock, or you might not get them in time for the holidays. So don't wait to buy.