The Black Friday Survival Guide
Black Friday will soon be upon us, and before we all rush to see what the best deals are I feel that it is vital to take a step back and look at the bigger picture before we splash our cash this year.
This year, Black Friday is on Friday 25th November. Black Friday is one of the biggest shopping events of the year and has been created to entice shoppers to spend before Christmas rather than waiting for the infamous January sales.
Important Reminder!
If you were planning on buying something, and it is now cheaper because of Black Friday, you have saved money.
If you were not planning on buying something, but you feel like you should because it is discounted, you have not saved money and probably shouldn’t buy it.
How to Win Black Friday
The above points are always worth taking into consideration when you spot a deal this Black Friday, but when it comes to making the most of these bargains, we want to get the maximum amount of bang for our buck. So here’s how we can do that:
Cashback
Whilst this is often seen as a small saving, the additional cash can add up substantially over the year. Cashback can be a really great boost in conjunction with traditional sales such as Black Friday as you get a discount plus extra savings in the form of money back in your bank account.
Our favourite cashback sites are:
TopCashback* (Get a £10 bonus as a newbie via this link when you earn your first £10 cashback)
Quidco* (Get a £1 bonus as a newbie via this link when you earn your first £5 of cashback)
It is also well worth checking your mobile banking apps as a lot of them have selected “retailer offers” which will pay you a significant amount of cashback. For example, Revolut is offering up to 10% cashback on Amazon at the moment alongside other BIG offers.
Our favourite banking apps which offer cashback are:
Revolut* (Get 3 months of free Revolut Premium via this link)
Monese* (Allows regular discounts up to 20% on supermarket gift cards)
Santander (Cashback on household bills with their 123 range of accounts)
If you also have access to a rewards debit/ credit card, be sure to use these to boost your savings as well!
Is it actually a good deal?
Unfortunately, retailers know that we will often get swept up into the madness of Black Friday and anything that looks like a good deal will get snapped up. This has resulted in many retailers advertising “bargain” prices on Black Friday despite this being higher than a product’s usual price.
Amazon are very guilty of this and there is a whole website called CamelCamelCamel which you can use to check the product’s price history. This is a must for any Black Friday shopping you do on Amazon!
For a market-wide price history, be sure to check our PriceRunner too!
Too good to be true?
As with most things, if the price savings seem too good to be true, particularly on smaller websites it could well be a scam. With millions of us getting caught in the frenzy of Black Friday, scammers will unfortunately try to take advantage of us and it can be very easy to lose track of your spending if you are buying a lot.
Only use trusted sites, do not rush any purchases, and if you speak with someone who is trying to pressure you to buy something quickly - do not go through with it.
Check out this article from This Is Money that breaks down the best ways to avoid scams this Black Friday.
Shop around
Just because there is a big bargain in one store or on one website, it doesn’t mean you should not look elsewhere. Almost every retailer will be holding Black Friday sales and you may be able to get a better price elsewhere.
Whilst it may seem like a no brainer to compare prices, the rush of Black Friday can get to you and it’s important not to get distracted. This is particularly crucial where stores will price-match - Currys currently have an offer where they will price match other stores.
Be sensible!
I’m sure to some of you this all seems like common sense, and to others it may be a great revelation that will hopefully help you over the coming weeks of sales.
Should you have any questions on Black Friday, please do not hesitate to contact us on Instagram.