12 tips for making the most out of Black Friday

Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk, a leading financial comparison platform, has some tips on how shoppers can get the most out of this year’s Black Friday sales:

• If you have particular retail outlets or ecommerce sites in mind, consider signing up for their mailing list before Black Friday, because many retailers offer subscribers early access to their best Black Friday deals – some even offer an extra discount to subscribers on top
• Do your research beforehand and track prices in the build up to Black Friday so that you know you’re getting a good deal
• Choose two or three competing stores and just double check who has the best offer – or use comparison sites where possible
• Bear in mind that some retailers may actually launch their Black Friday deals on ‘Black Thursday’, bringing their best discounts forward by a day because Black Friday can be noisy and oversaturated
• Many sites have cash back or rewards offers so you could be in for further savings – prioritise these sites in advance by bookmarking them on your browser
• Check online voucher discount sites to see if any extra discounts are applicable or even consider installing a browser extension like Honey, which can help you find discount codes for almost any ecommerce site. While some of these codes may not work in conjunction with the retailer’s Black Friday deals, some of them will.
• Reviews and customer feedback are really important especially if you’re in a hurry trying to secure a bargain
• It’s also key to consider expected delivery time, date and costs when choosing between stores – this can affect the overall price quite dramatically and not all UK stores deliver to everywhere in the UK…or on time for Christmas
• It might be worth having a calculator app to hand to be able to work out the differences in the offers between stores, 35% off original price or extra 15% off today can be tricky sums to do in a hurry
• Remember to ask for gift receipts, particularly if you intend to purchase the bulk of your Christmas presents that day, during the Black Friday sales
• Make sure you add on insurance for the big ticket items such as gadget or bicycle insurance or add it to your home insurance policy as soon as possible
• Don’t panic-buy – there’s always ‘Cyber Monday’ deals next week if you aren’t able to find what you want on Black Friday.  It’s important not to get caught up in the festive shopping buzz and buy more than you had planned, it’s easily done!