Black Friday is creeping up upon us once again. This year, Black Friday will share the love with Ireland's election day on the 29th November so like any good politician it’s important to be prepared going into battle. How to battle for bargains and how best to navigate through the marketing tricks that will be used in abundance on the biggest shopping day of the year is something to consider before the big day.
Darragh Cassidy of money saving website, Bonkers.ie says that first thing first is to remember is as with any sale item, it’s only a bargain on Black Friday if you were actually prepared to buy it at the higher price.
“Many people get caught up in the excitement of big sales events and often go shopping or browsing online just for the sake of it. But have a think about what it is you actually need.”
It can be easy to get consumed by the madness coming up to Black Friday but remember that a lot of the fuss is to do with marketing. Of course there will be bargains but if you don’t buy the item now, this bargain will very likely be popping up again in another sale just around the corner.
The first task is to make a list of presents for family and friends, or items for yourself that you really want and then go shopping for these items during the sales. However you need to also be mindful of ‘sales’ prices.
Until recently there were no hard rules on the use of sales prices but now the sale price must be based on the lowest price a product was on sale for in the previous 30 days, and the discount based on this price alone, says Mr Cassidy.
This is all very well but he says that many retailers are flouting the law and enforcement is rare. That is why now could be a good time to check out prices that are on offer for some of your items on your wish list before the ‘Black Friday’ discounts are applied.
Also, consumers should be aware not to get tricked by prices with "now'" or "now only" stuck on them without reference to any previous price. A laptop could retail for €1,000 and then have a sticker saying "now €1,200" on it a few weeks later.
“So if you see something for "sale", always be dubious. Do some research online to see what price the item usually retails at. Don’t be duped into automatically thinking the "reduced" sales price is offering good value,” says Mr Cassidy.
Research also shows many items ‘on sale’ during big discount events have actually been on sale at a similar, or even lower price, at other times throughout the year.
“So if you don’t have the money to buy something during Black Friday, don’t worry. The chances are the item will be on sale again, maybe at an even cheaper price, within a few weeks or months. Remember, the Christmas sales are only a month away.”
“Because although it’s called Black Friday, the event usually lasts the whole weekend, and will culminate in Cyber Monday three days later. So you will have time to come back and buy the item if you really want it.”
John Lowe of the Moneydoctors.ie says that people should be “very careful” when shopping on Black Friday as they can get “sucked into buying something they don’t need or want.”
“Obviously there are bargains to be had especially if you have made a list of items you are looking for either for yourself or presents but make sure you do need the item or want to give to someone as a present.”
Also if shopping online, to increase your safety, Mr Cassidy says that you should stick with reputable traders. He says to look for a secure connection, which is the padlock symbol when paying.
“If you’re a customer of Revolut, remember that it offers a great service to help with shopping online safely which are disposable virtual cards. And remember that shopping on sites within the EU will give you the strongest consumer rights.”
Mr Lowe also says to make sure you check with the retailer before you buy that they will take returns and give you full refunds. Also ask do they refund vouchers if they go out of date or ask them if there is a date limit on their vouchers too.
Black Friday can be a great event to bag a bargain but do go into it with sense and eyes wide open. Sign up to alerts from stores you like to hear about when the sales start and finish and always ensure you do your research on the place you are buying from as it could be fake.