With Black Friday (29 November) and Cyber Monday (2 December) just around the corner, many of us will be gearing up for the annual bargain hunt. Almost a third of us in the UK are likely to shop in this year’s sales, according to research by YouGov, and just over a third (35%) expect to spend the same as they did last year, when half of Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers spent over £100.
Tech products are likely to top our shopping lists in these two popular sale events, followed by clothing and gifts, with almost two fifths of us (38%) using Black Friday and Cyber Monday as a chance to get on with our Christmas shopping.
While there is always a dizzying range of bargains to bag, it’s important not to let the thrill of a discount go to your head. The golden rule is: if you were going to buy it anyway and it's marked down, you've saved money. If you weren't planning to buy it, it's not a saving no matter how big the discount!
All that said, there are good deals to be had if you keep your consumer wits about you, shop smarter and know your rights. Here’s our guide to savvy shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
1. Avoid impulse buying
Just as you should never enter a supermarket hungry or without a shopping list, doing your Black Friday research ahead of time helps reduce the risk of overspending or buying things you don't actually need.
Retailers often give a sneak peek at their Black Friday deals to those signed up to their newsletters, or who follow them on social media. Some also have dedicated Black Friday pages on their websites that give you a heads-up on the bargains that will be on offer. Take time ahead of the main event to browse, compare deals and work out what you want to buy as a priority.
2. Check if it's really a bargain
It can be easy to get so caught up in the Black Friday frenzy that you don't stop to compare prices to see if the discount that caught your eye really is the bargain it seems to be.
Comparison sites like PriceSpy show you the cheapest website you can buy a product from and Google Shopping compares prices across a range of retailers. If you're shopping on Amazon, check the product you're considering buying on camelcamelcamel. It keeps track of the prices of items sold on Amazon so you can see if you're really getting a good deal.
3. Resist Buy Now Pay Later schemes
It's not hard to see the appeal of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) schemes that allow you to pay for goods in instalments. But failing to pay off your BNPL loan by the time the 0% phase ends means you'll end up paying far more for your Black Friday purchases due to the high interest these companies charge – and missing payments can have a negative impact on your credit score.
BNPL should only ever be used if you have a solid plan in place to repay the loan within the interest-free period.
4. Bookmark the GHI reviews page
As many of us will have learnt the hard way at some point, just because something is cheap doesn't mean it will work out to be good value in the long-run. While you may appear to be getting a bargain by snapping up a product at a rock-bottom price, it's not worth it if the item breaks before it should or if it doesn't work as well as you hoped it would.
To ensure you're getting good value for money, check the best bargains our experts have rounded up on the GHI’s Black Friday deals page. We've tried and tested all our recommended products and checked the prices on a range of price comparison sites to ensure you're getting a genuinely good deal.
5. Beat the rush
If you're planning to visit shops in person on Black Friday, make sure you start early as many of the best deals will be gone by lunchtime. Online, Amazon and some other retailers release their deals throughout the day at specific times, so check first thing when the deals you’re after will be live and set an alarm so you can be ready and waiting.
Adding things to your online basket before the day can make the purchase on the morning faster, and can make it cheaper, too.
6. Get cashback as you shop
If you're planning to make the most of Black Friday discounts, signing up to TopCashback and Quidco means you can get cashback on our purchases to save you even more money.
It's worth bookmarking these sites or downloading their browser extensions as they can be used year-round for cashback deals. Just remember, the amount you get back varies according to retailer and you’ll usually get more if you’re a first-time buyer. Remember that the cashback can take some weeks to come through and you may have to reach a minimum amount before you can access it.
Alternatively, try DealFinder, an extension created by VoucherCodes that you can download on Chrome. DealFinder will automatically find and apply voucher codes when you shop online, even combining them where this is allowed to get you the greatest discount.
7. Protect yourself from scams
Online shoppers who fall victim to scams lose an average of £1,000 per person during Black Friday and the Christmas shopping period, research from the National Cyber Security Centre reveals. It's important to keep your wits about you and remember that if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.
- If you're sent an email or text about a deal, go to the retailer's website via your browser instead of clicking on a link.
- Look for 'https' at the start of a website's URL and a padlock sign in the browser — these show that a website is secure.
- If you haven't heard of the retailer before, read reviews and search for it online to check whether any scams relating to this retailer have been reported.
Read our guide for more Black Friday security tips.
8. Get exclusive access to Amazon deals
Amazon Prime members don't just get access to exclusive discounts, they also get early access to its 'Lightning Deals', which run throughout the year. These deals are only available for a certain amount of time, or only available until a product runs out, so getting a head-start on other shoppers can make all the difference.
If you’re not already a Prime subscriber (and you’re not sure you want to commit to Prime for the year) activate your 30-day free trial or subscribe for just one month at a cost of £8.99. Just remember to cancel your subscription before the trial period ends so you're not charged for the year.
9. Know your consumer rights
When you're shopping online on Black Friday, Cyber Monday or at any time of year, making sure you know your rights means you're in a better position to have things put right should anything go wrong. For example:
- If the item you bought is broken or damaged, unusable or not as advertised, you are entitled to a refund, repair or replacement.
- If you buy something that turns out to be a fake, you have the legal right to a refund and you can report the seller to Trading Standards.
- Data by what3words found that 70% of the UK population have had their deliveries lost or delivered to the wrong address. It is the seller’s responsibility to ensure the item is delivered to you and they should follow up with the courier if an item doesn't arrive.
- Use a credit card when you're spending over £100 so you can claim your money back if anything goes wrong with your purchase — just make sure you pay off the balance in full at the end of the month.
