Black Friday not what it used to be? Why it's overrated

Black Friday has become the most anticipated shopping day of the year in recent years.  

Once again this year, millions of shoppers will skip out on Thanksgiving dinner, stand in the cold, and forgo sleep, just for the chance to rush a store at midnight.

Report: Most deals not that great

But this year, more and more reports are looking at the numbers, and saying the deals on that day after Thanksgiving are really not that great.

In many cases, it's not worth it, according to a new analysis by the Wall Street Journal.

In a report titled "The Myth of the Black Friday Deal," the Journal reports that hundreds of gifts from Barbie dolls to blenders are priced below Black Friday levels at other times, especially later on in the Christmas season.

It checked prices at 50 retailers, and said once you remove a few Midnight "doorbuster" deals, prices on many items tend to be lower two weeks before Christmas.

Other reports have found lower prices on electronics during Cyber Monday, the following Monday.

Doesn't that Stink?

And from the "doesn't that stink" file, how those super Black Friday doorbuster deals sell out so fast, leaving many shoppers fighting over higher priced merchandise.

While $200 laptops, $9 toasters and $300 big screen HDTV's are all great, in many cases stores often have no more than 20 in stock, meaning the doorbusters are gone by 6:30 a.m.

If you get there later, and find no $9 toaster, and you may say "doesn't that stink?"

But it gets us in the door, where we buy other items, in particular, clothing, that are not at the lowest prices of the season.

However, no matter what analysts and price surveys say about Black Friday, it's not going to fade away anytime soon.

An entire industry has grown up around it, and shoppers will continue to line up no matter what.

As always, don't waste your money.
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