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Have you bagged a Black Friday bargain already?

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Black Friday 2017
Profile photo of Ellie Simmonds Ellie Simmonds Senior researcher
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Black Friday: It may be named after just one day but it’s increasingly becoming an altogether lengthier affair. Many shops have started their Black Friday sales already. So have you picked up some early deals yet?

The day itself is next week; Friday, 24 November to be exact. And since images of shoppers pushing and shoving each other to grab the best deals were broadcast a few years ago, Black Friday is slowly becoming more of an extended sales period in the UK.

This makes sense, given the date – falling the day after the US Thanksgiving – is meaningless this side of the pond. It minimises the crowds, the pushing, the shoving and the time pressure to buy.

Black Friday sales

This year it seems the annual Black Friday sales have started even earlier than ever.

Three of the biggest Black Friday retailers have already kicked off their discounts. Sales at Argos and Currys started earlier this week. And Amazon’s Black Friday sales are due to kick off today (Friday 17 November).

I’ve had my eye on a particular tablet for a while now, but being ever-the-cynical shopper I have refused to buy it before Black Friday. I’m hoping there’s a good chance it might be discounted. But I also know the so-called ‘deals’ are not always what they seem.

We tracked 178 deals for three months before and two months after Black Friday in 2015, and discovered that 49% of them were actually cheapest on a day other than Black Friday.

Only 8% of the Black Friday deals we looked at were one-day-only offers, where Black Friday was cheaper than any other day in those five months.

So make sure to do some price research and read reviews of the products before you buy to avoid making an expensive mistake.

Bagging a bargain

If you’re wondering how to make sure you get a good deal in the Black Friday sales, our Black Friday advice guide help you with savvy shopping tips, products to look out for and deals to be wary of this year.

Are you waiting to pick up a bargain in the Black Friday sales?

No, I don't want anything (53%, 272 Votes)

Yes, I am (25%, 129 Votes)

Maybe, I'm undecided (22%, 111 Votes)

Total Voters: 512

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Let us know if you have picked up any early Black Friday bargains or if you’re holding out for the day itself. Is there something you’ve been watching for a while to see if the discount really is a good as it seems?

Tell us your tips on bagging great deals this Black Friday… and let us know if you’re pleased with your purchases!

Comments
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bishbut says:
17 November 2017

Bargains maybe ? But just a way of retailers disposing of things that most people will not want to buy or things that they might have had for a long time Another excuse to get people to visit their store to look at a bargain then they can persuade them to buy things that did not need or want Haggle if you want to get things for less than the price they ask when you need to buy

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Jon says:
17 November 2017

I’ve just bought a tumble dryer from currys for £199, it was £330 and The which site best price was £230 so looks like a genuine sale bargain to me!

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malcolm r says:
17 November 2017

You have to ask, perhaps, how can they take 40% off the original price – or even the regular £100 Which? found. Probably because it was never worth £330 or anything like it in the first place. Different if someone is shifting an obsolete product, but most businesses will not sell at a loss.

I am always suspicious (well, more than just suspicious) of these “offers”. If a Dyson vacuum cleaner that “was” £520 is “now” £300, “save” £220, as on the official Dyson website, how long before they go bust? Of course they won’t, because they are over priced in the first place. Your generosity has given him a personal fortune of £7.8 billion and made him one of the biggest private landowners in Britain. Top marks for enterprise.

Jon, do read the Which? guide on line to your consumer rights just in case you have a problem with your dryer and need to approach Currys for a remedy. 🙂 But I hope it works well.

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DarrenJohnstone says:
17 November 2017

So you made the point that companies sell at a profit, I guess we all knew that already….

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malcolm r says:
17 November 2017

Interesting to see from the (small, so far) poll that a substantial majority presumably think they are getting a real bargain. Such things rarely exist but perhaps it is the illusion that matters?

I wonder when we” see “Happy Black Friday” greetings cards. This seems a terribly wasteful industry on resources and our money (although it keeps the Royal Mail going). Our very small local town – one not very long high street – has two shops dedicated to selling cards, with 7 other shops offering them, plus the inevitable charity shops.

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geoffsky says:
17 November 2017

If the retailer can offer a super bargain for the goods now, it’s either overpriced in the first place, or just old stock they need to get rid of.
My advice buyer beware.

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wavechange says:
17 November 2017

If I’m planning to make a major purchase I tend to keep an eye on prices, so have an idea of whether a price is a genuine bargain. Two years ago I made a significant saving on something I bought on behalf of a charity.

Major price reductions are used to sell off discontinued products. One of the benefits of discontinued products is that there may be useful reviews that might warn of poor design or unreliability, whereas the latest version is more of an unknown quantity.

I will have a look to see what is available, but money is not burning a hole in my pocket.

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alfa says:
17 November 2017

I had a glance at Amazon last night and they always seem to be the same products.

Also, if you really wanted Jabra headsets, you would probably go for a better model than the Black Friday deal and I think that goes for much of the stuff on offer.

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DarrenJohnstone says:
17 November 2017

I thought it was Black Friday today, Playstation VR £80 off, plus a free SKYRIM game, I couldnt NOT buy one. Also got an etop up £20 discount. total £230 collecting from Argos tonight.

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DerekP says:
18 November 2017

At least in my local Sainsbury’s, they bring in special product ranges like cheap TVs and oddball home PCs just for sales seasons. Then, outside of Black Friday or the January sales, they don’t seem to stock those lines at all.

So if you’ve duly read your Which? reports and settled on a specific product, then these sales may help if you can get exactly what you wanted for a bit less cash.

But, if you just go out looking for, say, a cheap TV – you’ll find plenty and risk getting exactly that – a cheap TV of poor or dubious quality.

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wavechange says:
18 November 2017

Sometimes the cheap products are marked ‘special purchase’ and deserve to be avoided. As you say, it’s a matter of deciding what you want an then waiting for it to be offered at a decent price.

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Fabrizio says:
23 November 2017

Nest thermostat for £155! That was a bargain for me

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