7 Black Friday shopping tips you need to stick to this year

The best Black Friday deals are coming up on 24th November 2023, although many brands and retailers have set their offers live early. From now until the 27th November (a.k.a Cyber Monday), this time of year is the best time to save money on the latest products and gadgets.

With the Black Friday sales in full swing, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the bargains and discounts up for grabs. Getting caught up in all the excitement is easy to do but when that happens, it’s easy to fall into discount traps where you’re not actually saving as much money as you think you are. Not only that, but you could waste your cash on things you don’t really need by getting carried away with the deals on offer.

To help you find the best prices and avoid spending a fortune, here are seven shopping tips you need to stick to this Black Friday.

1. Make a list… and stick to it!

The first and most important thing to keep in mind when shopping the Black Friday sales is to make a list and stick to it. Throughout November, there are deals flying here, there and everywhere, so it’s surprisingly easy to get carried away and spend money on things you don’t want or need. To stop you doing this, create a list of products to keep your focus during the sales. I make a list of Christmas gifts I want to buy for people, as well as finding the links to the retailers, so on the day, I simply check my notes and get my Black Friday shopping done immediately. Not only does this limit the risk of buyers remorse, but it also helps you stick to a budget.

2. Sign up for an account

Depending on the retailers you’re shopping at, it’s a good idea to sign up for an account, subscription service or newsletter. By signing up for an account, you’ll be the first to be notified about deals. This helps ensure that you get what you want without it going out of stock or rising in price, plus you can checkout more quickly. If you don’t want an account, you can sign up to a newsletter to get emailed about the latest sales, or you can go all in and pay for a subscription service like Amazon Prime.

3. Use price checking tools

To make sure you’re getting the cheapest possible prices, use a price checking tool to check the price history of the product you want to buy. Some retailers try to entice shoppers with advertised savings or artificially up the price only to bring the product back down to its original price on Black Friday. This can fool you into thinking you’re getting something super cheap when it’s not too much of a difference. Instead, research the products’ price from different retailers or use price checking sites to see how much the price has been previously.

4. Set reminders

Found a product you like? Set a reminder for it so you know when it drops in price. During the lead-up to Black Friday, early deals go on sale but they often fluctuate up until the official Black Friday weekend. To make sure you’re getting the lowest price possible, set reminders via the retailer's website so you’re notified when the item is in stock and at its cheapest.

5. Shop a year behind

Black Friday is often used by retailers and stores to clear out last season’s stock in preparation for newer models. When this happens, you’ll see TVs, laptops, tablets and other devices that are only a year old get huge price cuts, purely because they’re not the newest on the market. By shopping a year behind, you can find some of the cheapest prices on top products that are only a year old and still incredibly high quality.

6. Look out for price matches and discount codes

You might not expect Black Friday to have price match guarantees but it does… and you can save tons of money when you use them. A Black Friday price guarantee means specific retailers will match the price of a product or refund you the difference if you find it cheaper elsewhere. Check if your retailer of choice offers a price match guarantee and get in touch with their customer service to claim yours.

If you’re planning some serious spending, you can take more money off with discount codes. While some retailers won’t let you use discount codes with reduced items, there are the occasional brands that will let you. For example, Currys often offer extra discount codes during Black Friday for shoppers to take more money off and get free delivery and installation on large items.

7. Don’t forget Cyber Monday!

Cyber Monday (27th November 2023) is directly after Black Friday and can help you save more money on products and gifts. Historically, Black Friday was focused on in-store deals whereas Cyber Monday was strictly online, and while this has changed in recent years, Cyber Monday often gets bigger discounts online because of this. Some retailers will offer bigger price cuts on Cyber Monday, specifically those who sell consumer tech like TVs, laptops and printers.

Happy shopping!