How to grab yourself a bargain this Black Friday with Grace Forell!
It’s only Monday but Black Friday deals are already live! So if you’re in the market for a high ticket item, it’s the perfect time to buy. From air fryers to hair straighteners and white goods, consumer expert Grace Forell’s has her favourite products you can get a discount on this week.
How to find the best Black Friday deals?
No matter how low the price, cost is irrelevant if the product isn’t worth buying. Look at reviews from multiple sources to understand how the product works and whether customers are happy with it. Is it really something you need, will use a lot, or just really love? If not, don’t buy it. There can be a tendency to do mindless shopping around Black Friday just because it seems like everyone else is.
Avoid brands you’ve never heard of or products that don’t have a brand name. + If an item is the same price at several retailers, look for added benefits. Some retailers like Currys and John Lewis are doing price matching, some may offer cheaper delivery or longer warranties etc.
The vast majority of Black Friday deals are either the same price or cheaper at other times in the year, so use a price comparison site like PriceRunner, PriceSpy or CamelCamelCamel (specific to Amazon) to see if the current price offers genuinely good value.
Should you use comparison sites?
Look at the price history feature. If you select ‘all time’ you can see how the price has changed since the product launched. You’ll often be shocked to see the product was cheaper very recently. VERY rarely is the Black Friday price the lowest it’s been, but if the price is the lowest it’s been over the last 6 months it could be worth considering.
CamelCamelCamel shows you the average price for a product - this is handy for seeing if the BF deal price is even below average for that item.
What sneaky tactics should you be aware of?
‘Anchor pricing’ - where products are on sale more often than they aren’t, rendering the non-sale price irrelevant.
Pressure selling. This is where you’ll see messages like ‘20 people are viewing this right now’ or ‘only one left!’ to pressure you into thinking you’ll miss out if you don’t purchase quickly. + Stating the RRP (recommended retail price). This is simply a recommendation from the manufacturer and doesn’t necessarily mean the retailer has ever sold the item at this price. + ‘Was’ prices - these could be from ages ago, when the product first launched. It doesn’t necessarily mean the current price is competitive or offers good value. It’s not unheard of for retailers to increase a price close to BF so the price drop looks more impressive.
Consumer rights with Black Friday purchases
If you change your mind about a purchase, the law entitles you to cancel at any time within the first 14 days of receiving the item. Notify the retailer by starting the returns process, and then you have 14 further days to send the item back. Some retailers offer a longer returns window but 14 days is the absolute minimum.