It’s that time of year when deals are flying, carts are filling, and the most dedicated shoppers are camping outside of Walmarts across the country. Yes: it’s Black Friday again!
“Forget the TVs and coffee machines – Black Friday is your chance to save big on school essentials,”
says Vasilii Kiselev, the CEO and co-founder of Legacy Online School, a platform that provides high-quality online education.
Here, Vasilii shares his top five items parents and students should be shopping for in the upcoming Black Friday sales, as well as giving you the lowdown on the best deals he’s found from around the internet.
1. Laptops And Tablets
Whether you’re drafting essays, crunching numbers, or Zooming into lectures, a reliable laptop or tablet is a must for students as digital schooling expands. This Black Friday, retailers are serving up some stellar options:
- HP Chromebook 15: A no-fuss, lightweight device perfect for schoolwork. With 8GB of RAM, this deal at Best Buy slashes the price from $399 to $179.
- Dell Inspiron 15: Featuring a Ryzen 5 processor and 512GB SSD, this laptop is all about functionality at $299.99 (down from $449) on Dell’s site.
- Apple iPad 9th Generation: Best Buy is offering this versatile tablet for $199.99 (originally $329.99)—a great pick for note-taking, reading, or even streaming lectures.
2. Stationery Sets And Bundles
Who doesn’t love cracking open a fresh notebook or testing out colorful pens? “If you still like to take your notes the old-school way, these deals are for you,” says Vasilii. This year’s stationery deals are too good to miss:
- Rifle Paper Co.: Save 30% sitewide on planners, notebooks, and more.
- Eason: Get 20% off diaries and 50% off select gift pens. Plus, LAMY pens are 10% off for those who want a touch of sophistication.
- Papersource: Academic planners are 25% off, ensuring you start the year organized and ready to conquer.
3. Backpacks
Your backpack is your mobile locker and your style statement, but it also needs to be high-quality so as to not put undue stress on your back and shoulders. “Settling for cheap, badly made backpacks can have long-term effects on your health – plus, if you’re carrying a lot, they often unravel at just the wrong time,” says Vasilii. These Black Friday deals are making it easier to carry your load:
- Amazon: Offering 40% off select JanSport backpacks, these classics are both stylish and durable.
- SHRRADOO Backpacks: A whopping 50% off means you can grab one for half the price and still enjoy multiple compartments and sturdy construction.
4. Headphones And Calculators
Noise-canceling headphones help you zone into study sessions, while calculators ensure you ace those math problems. Check out these must-have deals:
- Sony WH-1000XM5: Amazon’s 25% discount drops these premium noise-canceling headphones to their lowest price ever—$298 (was $399).
- Apple AirPods 2nd Generation: Walmart has these reliable earbuds for $89, perfect for on-the-go audio clarity.
- Jabra Elite 10 Wireless Earbuds: Best Buy offers them for $149.99 (originally $249.99), boasting noise-canceling and Dolby Atmos support.
5. Art Supplies
For budding artists, Black Friday is the perfect time to stock up on supplies. Here are some of the best deals:
- 72-Piece ARTEZA Colored Pencils: On sale for $35.68 (down from $41.99), these pencils offer vibrant colors at a budget-friendly price.
- SAKURA Pigma Micron Pens: If precision is your thing, this 6-piece set is a steal at $11.62 (was $20.06).
- GenCrafts Watercolor Palette: Dive into painting with this quality set, discounted to $27.87 from $44.97.
- Winsor & Newton Winton Oil Paint Starter Set: Perfect for beginners, this set is down to $39.60 (was $67.99).
Vasilii Kiselev, the CEO and co-founder of Legacy Online School, commented:
“One key thing to remember about Black Friday is that snagging the cheapest deal isn’t really a deal if you weren’t going to buy the thing in the first place. My top advice is to focus on things you’re either missing or are in dire need of an upgrade, not the biggest discount. For example, if your kid desperately needs a more durable backpack for school because the old one is falling apart, now’s the time to act. These seasonal sales are designed for those big-ticket, long-term purchases that you’d hesitate to pay full price for.
“It’s important to shop smart. Start with that list of essentials you’ve genuinely been needing or planning to upgrade. Then, research ahead of time—check product reviews and make sure you’re buying from trusted retailers. It’s a good idea to check price trackers to see if what the store claims is a ‘deal’ is actually legitimate. Some stores have been known to artificially inflate the prices of items leading up to Black Friday so they can then claim they’ve been discounted, so don’t fall for this trick.
“A lot of stores offer price-match guarantees during Black Friday, so don’t settle for the first deal you see; shop around and compare prices. And always set a budget; it’s tempting to grab every flashy deal, but try to stick to only what matters. Done right, you can banish the Black Friday impulse buys and make thoughtful, budget-savvy investments.”
