Where are the Black Friday bargains?
Black Friday is on 29 November this year and it will be harder than ever to find any real bargains.
For a number of years Which? has published research showing that very few “bargains” are genuine. This year it revealed research that showed Nine in 10 Black Friday ‘deals’ cheaper or same price at other times of the year, Which? finds
However, the results of research published by PwC predict that UK Black Friday spending will increase 37% to £7.1 billion, up from last year’s £5.2 billion.
PwC research also found that men were expected to spend 50% more than women, mostly on tech products. 68% of purchases will be made online whilst younger shoppers are most likely to be physically hitting the High Street.
53% of UK consumers say they are “… interested in grabbing a bargain”.
Despite the yearly warnings stating that there are few true bargains to be had, it would appear that consumers are more determined than ever to find a “bargain”:
With the cost of living crisis still with us, consumers are more likely to be lulled into thinking that they are getting a bargain because they want to believe it. Whereas, in actual fact, they need to be more on guard than ever.
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12 top tips for getting real Black Friday bargains
1) Keep asking yourself if it is too good to be true. If it is, then it’s probably not genuine. If an item is currently hard to find and you see it for sale from an unknown retailer and at a good price, it’s probably a scam.
2) Use price-tracking tools. Camel Camel Camel, for example, tracks prices on Amazon and will tell you when the item was at its cheapest and show when the price changed and by how much.
3) Do your research. Pricechecker, Pricerunner, PriceSpy and Idealo all compare prices from different sites for the same item, so check them before purchasing anything. You can even compare prices in store. When shopping you can use the Idealo app to scan a bar code and it will tell you the cheapest place to buy it.
4) Check the reviews
- Only really take on board reviews where there are at least 10 entries, so you can discount the top and bottom.
- If someone is saying that an item has this great part and that superb element but the majority of the reviews say otherwise, be dubious!
- Likewise, if someone says they find a product useless or similar and the majority of other reviews are positive, it’s likely to be fake. Not necessarily a paid-for review, but a competitor or a troll, many of them exist on the Internet!
- Check out the reviewer. Click on the reviewer and their other reviews, see if there are any similar patterns. Are they all the same score? If the reviewer has all their reviews hidden that is unusual. If they are leaving bad reviews it could well be a troll or a competitor. Look at dates and the reviewers’ locations.
- Someone who undertakes honest reviews for companies, such as bloggers, should declare that they were given the item for free.
5) Use discount sites. With JamDoughnut you can earn reward points by buying pre-payment gift cards to use online, in-store or on the phone. Take out your cashback after you’ve received £10 worth in points.
With Mad About Money you can get similar discounted vouchers but save before you buy, so the money stays in your pocket.
6) Use cashback sites. The best-known and biggest cashback sites are Topcashback* and Quidco* as well as Kidstart*where you can save for your child. Create an account, look up the company from which you wish to buy then register and track your purchase. The time in which you get the cashback amount varies from trader to trader.
Often you will get a higher discount for your first delivery and some offer a gift or further discount for referring a friend.
7) Write down all the things you need to buy. This can include: the people for whom you have to buy presents, possible ideas and a budget. This will help with your choices and not go over a budget if you are easily carried away with possible bargains.
8) Check out Which?’s expert pick of deals in its Black Friday Insider’s Guide.
9) Black Friday is usually good for getting the latest technology, but check the release dates for the next model. Will you still want that ‘phone or laptop if the newer version comes out a week later?
10) Many of the items may need additional accessories, such as batteries. Don’t get these at the same time, you will more than likely find these more cheaply when you do research on that at a later date!
11) Don’t trust all the emails, texts or online adverts that you receive or see. They may not take you to genuine sites or real offers. Don’t click on any links and go to the site directly to see if the offer is genuine. Search for it by name, and follow the search results. But a site high in search results doesn’t mean it is real. This also goes for emails containing false information about non-existent orders or emails/texts saying you owe postage or need to update payment details. Don’t!
And don’t think that the social media platforms are safe either! Fake adverts and fake profiles can lure you in with offers and then send you to sites where you will be scammed and you won’t get the product(s).
12) Don’t be rushed into making a purchase. Scammers will try and use pressure selling techniques, such as creating false urgency to buy an item, making you feel that you owe the salesperson something or use unrealistic claims and promises.
Black Friday bargains or not Sky News
More information and help about Black Friday
Black Friday Bargains – but are they really?
Make it a happy shopping Black Friday, not a scammy one
Make Light Work of Black Friday – how to get real bargains
10 Top Tips for getting the best from Black Friday
Consumer Champion brings light to Black Friday
Black Friday warning: Don’t let the scammers catch you out
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