Time was, Black Friday saw us all queuing outside shops, ready for the doors to open and the rush to start. There were even some fights and brawls – which means you need a Black Friday survival guide to get the best from the November sales.
These days, the Black Friday rush tends to happen in front of our computer screens, with people vying from their keyboard for a bargain blender, TV or designer shoes. This year Black Friday is on November 29, 2019 in the UK – though many stores such as John Lewis and Currys PC World run sales all week. Online store such as Amazon also start Black Friday earlier, so it pays to learn some Black Friday hacks to get ahead of the queue.
But there are the same nerves and panic as the day draws closer and we wonder if we’ll get what we want, for the right price. The key to ‘winning’ at Black Friday is preparation – making sure your computer is primed and ready.
We asked top money saving bloggers how to nail the big event, and here’s what they said.
Black Friday survival guide 2019
Be sure about what you want
First things first, stop panicking! Instead, research what you need, and why – it’s likely those three new kitchen appliances aren’t totally necessary. “My main advice is to do some thinking ahead of Black Friday, so you’re not railroaded into buying anything outside your budget or wish list,” says Iona Bain at Young Money Blog.
“The tricks used by retailers (countdowns etc) trigger a massive sense of urgency and FOMO in consumers – but only if you buy into it.” Really knowing what you want means you won’t be thrown by sudden deals.
Be sure it’s a good deal
Faith Archer, money blogger at Much More With Less says: “Don’t always trust the discounts. Use a price comparison website like idealo.co.uk or camelcamelcamel.co.uk for Amazon, to check the price history of anything you want to buy. Then you’ll know if it’s a genuine bargain, or something you can probably get cheaper another time.”
Fill your basket the day before
“If you want to buy products likely to be discounted on Black Friday, add them to your online shopping basket beforehand,” says Archer. “And make sure you’ve saved your payment details on the website. Then you can zoom through the checkout when the offers appear.”
Set up price alerts
“Once you’ve done your research and decided there are key items you can get on Black Friday, set up price alerts for the item(s) in question. If you’re serious and can afford to, turning off notifications for everything else except these alerts will ensure they’re not lost,” says Bain.
Check the price is really right
Before you hand over your cash, always do your homework to ensure that the pre-sale prices haven’t been hiked in the lead up Black Friday says Kara Gammell, founder of the award-winning money-saving blog YourBestFriendsGuideToCash.
“Checking the price history of a product is easy,” Gammell says. “For items at Argos, for instance, use pricehistory.co.uk. Also worth a look is offeroftheday.co.uk, a site that gathers up all the best discount deals from UK retailers, and presents them all in one place.”
“Do your research beforehand. Check out the specific items you’d like to buy for less and get a sense of what you’d normally pay. Then you can snap up genuine bargains on Black Friday before stocks run out, knowing it’s the right product with the right features,” adds Archer.
Remember the item – and price – don’t have to be for keeps
If you go through the chaos, bag your bargains, then change your mind, fear not. “Some retailers will price match after you made your purchase,” advises Gammell. You can of course, return items, too, if you change your mind.
Need more advice as part of your Black Friday survival guide? Read our 7 essential Black Friday shopping tips and tricks to make the most of the November sales.
