These tips will help you make Black Friday a true bargain test
South Africans are relative newcomers to the global shopping sales phenomenon Black Friday. which have been ushering in the festive season shopping period in the United States since the 1950s but only landed’ on our shores in 2011.
So do we really know how to ‘win at Black Friday’ this year falling on November 24? Do we know the tips, tricks, and techniques that will see us bag the biggest bargains0 Kiync Maharaj of Su-perbalist.com says South Africans have rapidly taken to the day, but probably still have a bit to learn?
“The Black Friday sales were introduced to South Africa by online retailer Takealot.com and have quickly become a part of our local retail culture. At Supcrbalist. we’ve seen Black Friday sales grow 100% year-on-year and we fully expect the same for 2017.”
He says with a few pointers. South Africans can take even better advantage of the deals on offer, and do so with the least amount of stress.
Tip 1: If you are shopping online, set your clock for midnight on Thursday, November 23.
Most sales start as the clock strikes 12 so make sure you have data and your wifi Isn’t past its cap Get into bed early and set a few alarms.
By the time the rest of the world wakes up you can have done your shopping and be catching some restful winks before heading to work.
Tip 2: Create a wish list so you can check out ASAP on the day The prices may change on goods for Black Friday but the goods will already be there.
Go online, create your wish list, and when the sale starts, quickly go to your list, see which items are marked down enough and press ‘checkout’ to beat your shopping competitors to the bargain.
Tip 3: Do your homework – get your hands on as many newsletters and flyers as you can. Like the Facebook pages and Twitter feeds of all your beloved retailers and monitor their bargains closely. Retailers have started releasing their Black Friday weekend specials by early-November. Start plotting at once and draw up a plan of action.
Tip 4: Some of your purchases may be in the real world and some in cyberspace. A good plan is to start with cyberspace early and then head off to the physical shops once you’ve done the calm and peaceful online shopping.
Chances are, once you’ve been involved in a three-person scrum over the last Christmas turkey in the supermarket, you may only be capable of heading home and lying down…
Tip 5: Make sure your details are up-to-date. If you are shopping online, you won’t want to be messing around updating delivery or payment details as everyone around you is checking out what should have been your goods. It is worth logging into the sites you love before Black Friday and checking your details are 100% accurate.
Tip 6: Download the app for your favourite online retailers early. This will allow you to browse much faster and they ‘ll also send you to push notifications of the big discounts to look out for.
Tip 7: Check in advance if you can return your purchases. Most outlets, both online and physical. will accept returns for Black Friday purchases, but there is no guarantee. It is worth checking terms and conditions in advance to make sure that any purchases made “in the moment’ can be returned.
Tip 8: Decide ahead of time what you plan to spend on the Black Friday sales and stick to your budget. You could quickly find yourself shopping for Christmas 2018, 2019, and 2020 if you are not careful.
Be responsible and remember that the expensive festive season is coming up so you’ll need a bit left over.