Getting The Best Black Friday Deals
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Black Friday is fast approaching and with the current climate, getting the most for your money seems essential. With many high street shops still closed due to the English lockdown, it looks like the majority of Black Friday deals will be online this year.
Getting The Best Black Friday Deals
While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are brilliant times to get deals on items you may have been saving all year for, do try to be aware of what you’re spending.
It’s never worth getting into debt for a Black Friday bargain and try to avoid using buy now pay later schemes such as Klarna.
What Are The Best Items To Buy On Black Friday?
First of all, you may be wondering which are the best items to buy on Black Friday. Typically big ticket electricals are most likely to be discounted – mobile phones, air pods, televisions, smart speakers, games-consoles (bundles and individual games), laptops and even kitchen appliances like washing machines and stand mixers.
The next biggest discounts are usually on perfumes, trainers, clothing and some toys, for example, Lego and Kids’ cameras.
Retailers known for having the best Black Friday sales include:
- Amazon
- Argos
- Boots
- Currys / PC World
- John Lewis
- Superdrug
- Very
Of course, lots of other retailers and even small brands will also be having Black Friday sales too. Supermarkets tend to have Black Friday deals on one or two hero items.
Bargain or Bust: How Do I Know If I’m Really Getting A Good Deal On Black Friday?
One of the best ways to ensure you really are getting a good deal on Black Friday is to do some research beforehand.
Prices are often inflated for a few weeks before Black Friday and the slashed on the day which can make it look like you’re getting a much better deal than you actually are.
So how to tell if you are getting a good deal?
1. Check The Prices Beforehand
If you have items in mind that you’d like to try and get at a discounted price on Black Friday, plan and make a note of the price two to three weeks before.
Want to know if the price has been inflated? Or if a product was cheaper six months ago?
The idealo app has a handy price history tool which will show you when a product was cheapest during the last year. I did a very quick search on a Nintendo Switch with the Animal crossing game included. Here are the results.
Related Post: Beware Black Friday Price Hikes And Misleading Discounts
It was cheapest 92 days ago at £296.99 The current cheapest price at the time of writing was £479.95. a difference of £182.96 which is a HUGE amount of money.
I am fairly certain the price will be reduced over the Black Friday weekend but having that information at your fingertips can really help you make an informed decision about the price you pay.
2. Set Up A Price Alert
If you have a maximum price in mind you’d like to spend on something, you can set up a price alert via idealo.
This can save your hours of trying to search out the best price for something, simply get an alert when it reaches your chosen price and you can go ahead and purchase if you want to.
3. Watch Out For Unknown Brands
Some of the deals on Black Friday may be for brands you’ve never heard of.
Sometimes there is a reason you haven’t heard of them. While not all less well known brands are bad, it’s worth doing your research before buying.
Google the brand name and look at reviews and guides and from a trusted source such as which?
If you’re only saving a few pounds compared to a well-known brand, it may be worth sticking with them.
For example, by choosing an established brand you can easily find out what their customer service is like and if something goes wrong with your purchase, you know it will be easy to get parts and repairs should you need to.
4. Know Your Rights
While getting particular items dirt cheap may have seemed like a good idea at the time, there’s a possibility you may end up suffering from buyer’s remorse.
Before you buy anything, particularly big-ticket items such as televisions and game consoles take a look at the return policies of the retailer you’re buying from.
While some elements of it are legally binding, such as how long an item should reasonably last, you may not be able to return something you bought in-store just because you’ve changed your mind.
That said, retailers will often offer extended returns in the run-up to Christmas.
Most online purchases are covered by distance selling regulations meaning you can return things just because you don’t like them, however, there are some exemptions such as earrings, CDs, fresh flowers and personalised items.
5. Get Organized
You may think doing all the research above was being pretty organised, but one of the best things you can do before Black Friday is get signed up to all the retailers you’re likely to want to buy from. This will make purchasing products on Black Friday much quicker and easier when websites may be swamped and running more slowly.
Making an account will usually mean you’re signed up for the brand’s newsletter.
While this isn’t something I normally recommend staying subscribed to if you’re trying to save money, it is perfect if you want to be the first to hear about Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals.
f you’re looking to buy items from a particular retailer, set up a wishlist (if they offer one) so you can quickly find the items you want on the day.
Getting The Best Black Friday Deals On Amazon – 5 Tips
Amazon seems to be synonymous with Black Friday so I thought it deserved its own section in this post.
While I know lots of people want to boycott Amazon this Christmas, there are plenty who will still use it as it’s often hard to beat in terms of both price and convenience.
While Amazon’s mega-deals were originally a one-day event, just as Christmas seems to start earlier each year, so do the Black Friday deals.
Expect offers starting as early as two weeks before Black Friday and then continuing over the weekend and into Cyber Monday.
1. Get A Free Prime Trial
If you haven’t previously had Amazon Prime, then you should be able to take out a one-month free month trial. If it’s not normally something you’d use, Black Friday week is the best time to start one.
You can take advantage of Prime member deals and free next day delivery on your items. Just don’t forget to cancel before you’re charged for the following month!
2. Shop For Amazon’s Own Products
Black Friday and Cyber Monday often see the best deals on Amazon’s own products such as the Kindle, Alexa and Firestick and I think we’ll see some of the best ever prices on these this year.
3. Double Check Delivery Costs
Even when products are advertised as having free delivery, often Amazon will automatically check the box for first class. Always double check delivery costs and if free delivery is offered make sure that box is checked if you’re not in a rush for your parcel.
4. Find Add On Items
If you’re struggling to get your basket over £20 to qualify for free delivery, search for some cheap ‘add on’ items to bring up your total. These could be anything from labels to sellotape to stationery.
Final Tips For Black Friday
My prediction is that Black Friday is going to be huge this year and as we’re still in Lockdown here in England, most of the best deals will be online.
Here are my final few tips for getting the best deals during Black Friday 2020
Look For a Voucher Code – Whenever I buy anything online I always do a quick search to see if I can find a voucher code. These are usually for between 10% and 20% or might be an offer like £10 off when you spend £50 or free delivery with a certain spend.
Voucher codes may not always work with other offers or special deals but it’s a quick two-minute job that could save you a lot of cash if it does work.
Cashback – While cashback is great, it often doesn’t work in conjunction with voucher codes and these will often save you more money overall. However, if you can’t find a voucher code that works, cashback is the next best thing. Find out exactly how cashback works in this post.
Don’t forget Your Loyalty Card – While I never recommend shopping somewhere just for the loyalty points, if you are making a big purchase this Black Friday, don’t forget to swipe your card or make sure your details are added to your online account, in particular Boots, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s.
Look at the Price History – I mentioned this earlier in the post but checking the price history of an item will really give you an idea of how much of a good deal you’re getting on the day.
Check Delivery Costs – Typically with bigger items delivery is included, however, always check the delivery threshold. Is it worth adding a small item rather than paying £4.95? Could you click and collect instead?
Don’t Get Into Debt – No Black Friday deal is worth getting into debt for. Only buy what you can afford and if you need help with money worries you can contact citizens advice.
It’s also worth remembering Black Friday isn’t the only big deal shopping day of the year. In fact, research by Idealo showed that some items were actually cheaper during December.
Not forgetting Boxing Day Sales and January sales where items may be even cheaper again – so if you don’t find what you’re looking for this Black Friday, it may simply be a case of waiting a few weeks for an even better deal to come along.
Happy Black Friday bargain hunting!
