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Don't Get Taken For A Ride: Guide To Holiday Shopping In December

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- December is the month for shopping, but not for everything. While shoppers are seeing some price cuts, other items are going up significantly.

CBS 2's Dana Tyler has a guide to this month's buying dos and don'ts.

Whether you're giving or receiving this month, chances are there are items you want to buy.

But retail analysts say this time of the year can be a tricky time to shop.

"It's funny about December. There are some really good deals on a lot of things, but that doesn't mean that everything is the right time to buy right now," said Dan de Grandpre of DealNews.com.

Despite all the sales, coupons and even offers of cash back, experts say you're better off waiting until the New Year to buy certain items -- like laptops and smaller flat screen televisions.

"Black Friday weekend is well past us and that was the best time to buy low-end things like electronics," de Grandpre said.

And now that the gift-buying season is in full swing, retail experts say stores have pushed the prices on these smaller electronics back up.

"The cheapest prices you will not see again," de Grandpre said.

But if you're in the market for a really high-end desktop or big TV expect to see discounts of up to 30 percent.

"That's a lot of money when you're talking about something that costs $1,000 or $2,000," de Grandpre said.

Other items analysts say are marked up in December include watches, outerwear and boots.

"If you can, wait to buy those. The best prices are the first week in January," de Grandpre said.

But the good news December can also bring a lot of great deals on things like kitchen electronics, tools and toys.

"The first two weeks of December are when toy prices reach their lowest," de Grandpre said.

Bikes are also a great buy this month at up to 50 percent off.

"Bikes are actually a classic holiday gift -- to wake up and find a bike under the tree," de Grandpre said.

Another marked up item this month are calendars, but prices of Blu-Ray movies are being slashed by 20 percent.

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