There’s a big buzz about Black Friday at the end of this week. Along with the Cyber Monday which follows, it’s traditionally a day when retailers offer large discounts (predominantly online but also in store) to coincide with the start of the major Christmas shop.
The purchasing manager for Team Minted (ie me) will be on the hunt for a camera. Dear Daughter has asked Santa for a Canon 1300d so she can take decent photographs for forthcoming art projects including GCSE. The elves have been hard at work identifying a supplier and the best price they’ve found so far is £329 with £20 cashback from Canon, available through Currys and John Lewis. I might add this will probably be the only present Santa will be bringing and I’ll be looking on Friday to beat that three hundred quid down as far as possible.
Fingers crossed then, especially as there’s been some negative news recently that last year’s Black Friday deals weren’t as good as they might have been. A review of 35 offers by Which? found that 60% of them were the same or cheaper on other days of the year. Bearing that in mind, I’ve compiled some top tips for you to get the best of the bargains on the day.
1. Do your research. It’s absolutely vital to know the regular price of your desired item otherwise you won’t be able to tell whether the deal you’re being offered is a good one. Check Amazon and some of the eBay retailers, as well as looking at review sites such as www.trustedreviews.com. An easy way to find the cheapest price now is through comparison sites such as Pricespy and Idealo.
2. Buy through a cashback site. Can you save even more money buying through sites such as TopCashback* or discount code provider Voucher Codes Pro? Failing that, make sure you pay using a credit or loyalty card where you earn points for spending. For example, buying through the Avios eStore (which has links to the major retailers) can rack up Avios points.
3. Beware the red mist. Set your budget before you start shopping and stick to it. Retailers have lots of nasty tricks to pressure you into buying (only two left in stock!) while the idea you’re surrounded by cheap purchases can encourage you to indulge in a feeding frenzy. There’s an argument for keeping items in your shopping basket for a few hours: the retailer might approach you with a better offer or you might decide you don’t want them after all.
4. Delivery costs. Figure out whether all the money you’ve saved is going to be blown on getting your goodies to your home. Click and collect might be the preferable option.
5. Can you wait? Prices sometimes drop further closer to Christmas. You could get a phenomenal deal if you’re brave enough to risk the item going out of stock before 25 December. Alternatively look for a retailer which offers some kind of refund if the price falls in the weeks following your purchase.
See the SMM guide to saving on Christmas here.