5 Things You Shouldn't Buy on Black Friday

Online shopping is getting more popular every year, but that doesn't mean that Black Friday is going out of style. Between in-store doorbusters and online deals, retailers are once again finding ways to grab consumers' interest this year. According to numbers released last week by retail industry group the National Retail Federation, 147 million Americans plan to shop on Black Friday weekend, nearly half the country's population.

Half of all Americans can't be wrong, can they?

Well, as it turns out, they might be. While there are certainly some good deals to be had that day, historical pricing trends suggest that some classes of items tend to have better prices before or after Black Friday. And a few specific items that have shown up in this year's circulars should also be avoided, either because they're of poor quality or because they're not the deal they appear to be.

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Matt Brownell is the consumer and retail reporter for DailyFinance. You can reach him at Matt.Brownell@teamaol.com, and follow him on Twitter at @Brownellorama.