Santa's elves have been working hard all year long to make sure the shelves are well-stocked at major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target in time for Black Friday. But that's not when these products are at their cheapest, de Grandpre says.
Starting the week of Cyber Monday, toy prices tend to drop on thousands of products for all age ranges, including name brands such as Lego and infant toys by Fisher-Price, he says.
But would-be Santas should move quickly if a particularly hot toy is on their kids' wish lists, as those may sell out. While prices tend to drop at the beginning of December, they start to go back up about a week before Christmas, when stores can make money selling to last-minute shoppers, de Grandpre says.