Columbus Day Sales can be an unofficial early kick-off to the start of the holiday shopping season for many, with several deals at retailers allowing the early birds to take advantage and buy great gifts for their loved ones (or themselves) before the major rush of holiday shoppers that start crowding the stores in November and December. 

However, while stores try to entice shoppers of all kinds with deals and sales during the Columbus Day holiday weekend, some deals aren't necessarily worth grabbing-and may be better to wait on.  So what should you consider buying now, and what should you wait on? A look at last year's sales gives a hint. Check out our list below:  

Shoes and Accessories 
 

Columbus Day Sales are expected to be a great time to snap up shoes and some other accessories. Last year, DSW offered a coupon code which allowed consumers to take either $10 off a $49 purchase, $20 off a $99 purchase or $40 off a $199 purchase, but nothing notable for Black Friday. Famous Footwear offered a 15 percent off your purchase coupon for both Columbus Day and Black Friday.  

Clothing 
 

It's advised to hold off on buying apparel, give or take a few items, as deals for that will be much better on Black Friday. Last year, department stores like Macy's, Kohl's, Belk and Lord and Taylor offered a max discount of 20 percent off an apparel purchase on Columbus Day. Those same retailers offered discounts of 50, 60 and 75 percent on various apparel on Black Friday.  

TVs & Electronics 
 

It's generally a good idea to wait on TVs, Tablets, computers, phones and other tech items until Black Friday weekend due to the deep price slashes you'll see on all of those items at nearly every retailer. Picking up deals on these items now will depend on just how big the discount is.  

Big-Ticket Items & Appliances 
 

There may be bigger deals on Black Friday weekend, especially on newer models, but the newest models typically roll out in September and October, meaning retailers will want to get rid of most older models, so there could be some clearance values and extra savings applied over the Columbus Day holiday as a result.  

Tags: Columbus Day Sales