Black Friday is a major shopping event that lures shoppers in with promises of incredible savings. While there are undoubtedly some excellent bargains to be had, you’ll also come across some surprisingly bad deals. At times, separating the fantastic discounts from the subpar ones isn’t easy. If you want to make sure you are genuinely getting a good bargain, here are five ways to avoid bad deals on Black Friday.
5 Ways to Avoid Bad Deals on Black Friday
1. Plan a List in Advance (and Record Pricing Information)
The fear of missing out (FOMO) can lead to a lot of impulse buys. Since spontaneous purchases can quickly bust your budget, the first step you need to take is to plan a list in advance. Narrow your focus to items you genuinely need, be that for yourself or Christmas gifts. Then, you can ignore everything else on Black Friday. However, you don’t want to stop there.
Black Friday deals are usually showcased very dramatically, and their time-limited nature is usually a big part of the retailer’s advertising strategy. The issue is that presenting something as an extreme discount doesn’t guarantee that it’s genuinely an excellent bargain.
Many retailers display Black Friday pricing by showing the “original” price and the Black Friday price, often showing a percentage discount. However, that original price may not be what they typically charge for the item, or it may not accurately reflect the item’s actual worth. As a result, it can make the deal look deceptively large.
As you create your list, write down the price for the item today. That gives you trackable data, allowing you to see if a Black Friday price is actually a bargain. This is particularly critical during a year where Black Friday-style deals began weeks before this major shopping event, as some items may be cheaper before Black Friday due to a sale the previous week.
Sites like Camelcamelcamel and Honey (by PayPal) are also valuable resources. They monitor product pricing on sites like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and more, allowing you to see what the items usually cost at those retailers, making it easier to spot whether a sale price is legitimately a bargain.
2. Avoid Certain Product Categories
Even if items in specific categories go on sale, that doesn’t mean Black Friday is the best time to buy them. Some products see deeper discounts during other times of the year.
For example, there are usually better deals on winter clothing in January. Televisions are often less expensive during the Amazon Prime Early Access sale and the Best Buy sale that happens at the same time, as well as right before the Super Bowl.
Furniture is typically cheaper during Presidents Day sales, while jewelry sees deeper discounts in late January as people prepare for Valentine’s Day. There are better deals on higher-end computers near the start and end of the school year, so you may want to skip them during Black Friday. January is better for bedding, while mattresses have steeper discounts in February.
You might also see more significant discounts on toys and tools after Black Friday but before Christmas. Fitness equipment is more likely to go further down in price closer to January 1, as that’s when people focus on their resolutions. It’s also not uncommon to see better deals on smartphones when the release of the next model is drawing near.
3. Don’t Overlook the Extra Costs
Whether you’re shopping on Black Friday online or in-store, there are costs beyond the sticker price that you need to factor into the equation. Regardless of whether the product is a great deal, higher shipping costs could make shopping elsewhere the better bargain.
While free shipping isn’t uncommon during Black Friday, not all retailers offer free two-day or expedited shipping. Instead, the processing and shipping timelines could push delivery close to Christmas. If the item is critical for your holiday plans, you may have to pay a significant fee to make sure your items arrive on time. As a result, a slightly higher purchase price with a better shipping timeline could end up being the better overall bargain.
Tax rates can vary dramatically from city to city. If you want to shop in person and are planning to buy a big-ticket item, look at the different tax rates in the towns within driving distance. In some cases, even the extra cost for gas is offset by a lower tax rate, so do the math to see whether going to a store that’s farther away could actually make sense.
4. Take Close Looks as Bundle Deals
When you’re shopping online, you might see deals in the form of product bundles. With these, you may get a set of related items for a discounted package price or might receive a percentage off of additional items tied to the sale.
In either case, bundle deals are only worth considering if you can genuinely make use of the additional items if the purchase price for the one product you’re after is lower than the bundle. In many cases, cheap, low-quality items are tied to the bundles, so they might not be worthwhile even if the discount looks steep.
5. Check the Seller Information When Shopping Online
Large retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy (among others) allow third-party sellers to list on their sites. Aside from the seller’s name on the page, the listings look essentially the same as those included by the primary retailer.
While many third-party sellers are reputable, scams can happen, particularly during major shopping holidays. Additionally, some sellers may have poor reputations that aren’t immediately clear on the product page. They could also charge shockingly high rates for shipping or not offer the same delivery timelines as the core retailer.
Spend time looking at the seller information before you make any Black Friday purchases. Check their customer ratings, read product reviews to look for quality or delivery issues, and review their shipping information. That ensures an excellent product price isn’t being offset with overblown shipping charges, increases your odds of getting what you pay for, and makes it more likely that your purchase will arrive at a time that works for you.
Can you think of any other tips that will help shoppers avoid bad deals on Black Friday? Did you ever fall for a bad deal during holiday sales and want to tell others about your experience? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Read More:
- Save Money with These Frugal Thanksgiving Menu Ideas
- Retail Stores Open/Closed on Thanksgiving 2022
- Is Walmart Open on Thanksgiving 2022?
Come back to what you love! Dollardig.com is the most reliable cash back site on the web. Just sign up, click, shop and get full cash back!