Black Friday is on the approach and we’re already excited.
You’ll find that many of your favourite retailers are offering massive discounts for Black Friday. As a Quidco member, you can save even more by earning cashback on all Black Friday deals you make through our site.
Not yet a Quidco member? Click HERE to join.
Whether you’re looking for the latest must-have electricals, some new fashionable attire or the xbox your kid has been craving after all year, Black Friday is a great time to bag some top bargains. But it’s best to plan ahead. Check out our essential tips to make the most of your Black Friday shopping.
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday is always on the last Friday of November. So this year it’ll take place on 29th November. The sales will start being released first thing Friday morning, which means just after midnight on Thursday.
Make a Plan
The great thing about Black Friday is items of all types are on sale, from laptops to shoes to kitchenware to holidays. The only problem with this is that it can become a little overwhelming if you rush in there blind.
Be aware that certain products tend to be more heavily discounted than others. Electronics, for example, can be an absolute steal on Black Friday. If you’re looking for a new TV or laptop, Black Friday is often a better bet than the January sales.
It’s also a good idea to check the original prices of products before Black Friday hits. Brands have been known to slowly raise their prices bit by bit in the run up to Black Friday, so the discounts they put on their products may not be as tasty as they first seem.
Another way to narrow down your options is to browse the full list of retailers who have partnered with Quidco to offer cashback. Make a list of all your favourites, then bookmark the Quidco page for each retailer in your web browser. This way you can go back to them quickly when the sale begins without wasting any time.
Alternatively, you can save time (and you may well want to save time on Black Friday) by adding the Quidco Cashback Reminder. It’ll alert you to the cashback you could earn when you’re on a brand’s site — no need to go through Quidco. Then you just click the ‘Activate Cashback’ button and continue your Black Friday shopping as normal.
Make a budget
It’s a good idea to make a budget and note which items on your shopping list are the biggest priorities. Your budget doesn’t have to be small, just smart. Black Friday is a time when spending a lot means saving a lot.
If you want to be sure you have plenty of ready funds for Black Friday then make a budget well ahead of time so you can start saving sooner. Once the sale starts, visit the Quidco pages of your chosen retailers first to get the best chance of scoring the items you really need.
Be speedy
In some instances, Black Friday deals can sell out in a matter of minutes, so you may need to be quick. It can be a good idea to pull a late one on Thursday in order to be at the front of the queue and get those bargains quick.
That being said, some brands will drip feed their offers throughout the day, so try not to blow your whole budget within the first couple of minutes. If you see an item you really want, which is not immediately discounted, it may well be in later in the day, so keep checking!
Get organised before
If you want to know ahead of time exactly which offers to expect, the best way is to sign up to newsletters from your favourite retailers. They will almost always announce the sale start time and end time via newsletter.
Remember, though, that you won’t earn cashback if you follow the sale links in a newsletter. Make sure you have the Cashback Reminder added to your browser so you'll be able to earn cashback on them. Or if your buying on your mobile, be sure to first download the Quidco app. If you’re splurging on a big purchase that’s now within reach thanks to the sale, it’s crucial to save as much as you possibly can.
On Black Friday, an item can sell out before you even get the chance to click on it. Save yourself some precious time by creating accounts with shopping sites before the big day arrives.
Making sure you’re logged in will grab you an all-important extra minute. For convenience, take the time to bookmark your favourite items, or add them to your wish list ahead of time. At an online marketplace like eBay, you can save a huge variety of products from different sellers to one single wish list.
Don't forget to check before you buy
It’s easy to get swept up in the exciting deals of Black Friday and forget to check the important things, like the returns policy. When it comes to buying items online, sometimes what arrives at your door either doesn’t fit or isn’t what you thought it would be.
Double-check the retailer’s returns policy. Retailers are not required to have one by law, but if they do have one, they’re legally obliged to stick to it. You normally have 30 days to return a product if it’s faulty. For the sake of speediness, check and make at note of you favoured brands' return policies before the big day arrives.
Shop Wisely
Black Friday is the perfect time to shop for Christmas gifts. If you’re one of those last-minute types, trust us, the sight of these bargains will turn you into a forward-planner in no time. Since so many different types of items are on sale, you can grab pressies for everyone all at once.
Visit a department store to shop across several different categories on the same site. It’s also worth browsing online marketplaces where independent designers sell their goods. Here you can find personalised gifts that are made to order just for you but remain affordable thanks to a combination of Black Friday deals and Quidco cashback.
It’s also always worth shopping around for the best price. Since most retailers announce their discounts ahead of time, you can figure out in advance which items will be cheapest, especially when you factor in cashback.
This is useful if you’re not looking for a single, specific item. Let’s say you need a new sofa, but you don’t have one make or model in mind. Or perhaps you need to update your winter wardrobe, but it doesn’t really matter where the clothes are from? When you’re flexible, you can enjoy the convenience of shopping around.
Remember, Black Friday is not just a single day. Many retailers begin their sales several days in advance of the Friday, and continue over the weekend.
Discounts will occasionally increase as the sale continues on, especially if a retailer has over-ordered stock. Sometimes one retailer will put different product categories on sale on different days. To ensure your Black Friday is a success, keep your bargain-sensors tingling for at least a week!
Stay safe when you shop online
Now that most of Black Friday shopping is done online, it seems a lot safer. Your chances of getting wrestled to the floor over the last 4K TV in the shop are significantly slimmer. But that’s not the only danger out there when it comes to shopping.
The internet is rife with online phishing and other scams come Black Friday and Cyber Monday. More so than any other time of the year, online scammers take advantage of the huge number of people shopping online. When great deals are about, people can let their guard down and become victims of scams.
How to tell if a site is secure
The easiest way to know if a site is secure is if you are familiar with it. Have you purchased with them before? Have you seen adverts for them on TV? If you stick to the big brands that we all know and love, such as Currys and Amazon, you’ll be sure to stay safe when shopping.
But that’s not to say that smaller brands are not completely safe on Black Friday. And they sometimes have better deals than the big players, so don’t forget to show them some love this Black Friday.
If you’re not sure if the brand your shopping with is secure or not, check the site’s URL when you get to the check-out page. Sites with encrypted check-out pages will have a little image of a padlock just before the URL. You can also make sure of this by noting whether the URL has ‘https’ instead of just ‘http’. The ‘s’ indicates security.
If in doubt, go with your gut feeling. If a website is overflowing with popups, especially from third-party sites, then it’s probably not the best bet. Read the reviews of products. If there are no reviews, or if the reviews seem suspicious or spammy, then use your instinct to decide whether you think it’s safe or not.
Use a safe method of payment
There are some methods of payment you can use that guarantee extra safety. Most companies now allow you to check out using Paypal or Google Checkout. If you can, it’s a good idea to use these checkout processes such as these as they provide extra buyer protection.
