By MoneySavingExpert's Coupon Kid, Jordon Cox
Black Friday is fast approaching and with thousands of deals and products reduced at hundreds of high street stores and online, it’s easy to be overwhelmed.
Black Friday 2016 takes place on Friday 25 November, but it’s important to remember to not be sucked in by the hype, and just buy things for the sake of it. If there’s something you need, will use and can afford, there are usually decent bargains to be had. Just make sure you get prepared in advance and do your own price comparisons to ensure you really are getting a good deal.
Retailers traditionally keep their cards close to their chest about exactly what deals they are offering, but some have given us a head-up of what to expect. For those that are staying schtum, we’ve made some predictions of what to look out for based on what they’ve done in previous years (retailers are often creatures of habit).
What we know so far
We’ve been given some insider knowledge about what will be coming up over the Black Friday weekend. Here is what we know so far:
Amazon
Amazon has already started their Black Friday sale offering lightning deals with up to 50% off thousands of products – with new deals happening every hour. The sale will continue each day until Fri 25th Nov – and while we don’t know what deals they will offer on Black Friday itself – you can sneak a peek at the upcoming hourly lightning deals on its upcoming deals page.
Curry’s PC World
Curry’s told us 2016 will be its ‘biggest ever’ year for Black Friday deals, and will be starting from Sun 20 Nov. TVs, large appliances, computing and smart technology will be included in ‘thousands’ of offers, with 6% more stock compared to last year.
Last year however, it was reported that Curry’s put the prices up of some of its items to then reduce them on Black Friday – so be sure to check every deal to make sure it’s market-leading.
Argos
High street giant Argos has said its Black Friday sale will be a 13-day event starting on Fri 18 Nov and continuing through to Cyber Monday on Mon 28 Nov.
While it is keeping the full details close to its chest, it says “there will be sizable discounts available on a range of technology, toys, consumer electronics and domestic appliances”
Last year the website had a queueing system at its busiest time to control traffic to its website – with its busiest time being 8-9am – so you’ll have to be prepared early. Fast track same-day delivery and in-store collection services will be available on the big day.
What are our predictions?
Based on what has happened in the past few years – we’ve come up with some predictions for what will happen in just a few weeks.
Asda
Last year Asda announced it was not taking part in Black Friday after the bad press it got the previous year with people fighting in the aisles over cheap TVs. Instead it offered other deals in the week leading up to Black Friday, including £10 Baileys and it even reduced the price of petrol. This year, we expect to see more of the same offering discounts on non-conventional items.
Asos
We’re expecting 20% off site-wide Asos code, spanning the Black Friday weekend – just as it did last year.
Boots
In the past, Boots have included sales of 50% off or more on selected items including No7 & Soap and Glory. We’re pretty sure you can expect to see discounts on your favourite brands again this year – which will be great to stock up for Christmas.
Debenhams
Debenhams Black Friday discounts last year were big in quantity but underwhelming in discounts, with a lot of items being found cheaper elsewhere. This year, expect up to 50% off discounts, but not always market-leading.
Game
Game last year was an exciting player offering one-hour only sales on selected games and consoles – some being the best on the market. This year we expect to see big discounts on consoles and games.
House of Fraser
House of Fraser last year offered a week-long sale of up to 50% off online and in stores. This year, expect another sale on selected items that includes women’s, men’s and kids’ clothes, beauty, electronics and homeware.
John Lewis
John Lewis was another stronger performer from last year offering cheap Kindles, TVs and electronics – some of which selling out early in the morning. It was also hot on price-matching other retailers, including some online-only retailers, even though it’s Price Promise only normally recognises retailers with a high street presence.
M&S
M&S’ Black Friday sale in previous years has only been up to 20% off selected lines and we expect the same again this year – nothing to get excited about. For M&S this year, we again predict a modest discount in-store and online, with better offers found in other high street stores.
Sainsbury’s
Black Friday last year saw Sainsbury’s go in a similar direction to Asda, with a “low-key” Black Friday, offering a modest number of deals on smaller products over a week-long period. We’ll be keeping an eye out for it doing something similar this year.
Selfridges
For the past few years, Selfridges has offered a 20% off online code and in-store voucher over the Black Friday weekend. It’s offered it for the last few years, so we expect to see it repeating it this year.
Tesco
Tesco had a range of electronics at a discounted price last year including a 32” TV for £99 – however it was mostly its own make with not many big-name brands included in the sale. There were also a number of discount codes for spending at Tesco Direct. This year, we expect more of the same, with a lot of own-brand products discounted and battling for the lowest price against Amazon.
