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Thursday, November 24, 2016

5 Tips for Spotting a Bargain on Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Black Friday is famous for the shopping mania either online or offline, while Cyber Monday is a newly-emerging marketing term for the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday, a term created by marketing companies to persuade people to shop online. On Black Friday, retailers offer a variety of special offers and big discounts, with more deals added online on Cyber Monday.

In order to spot a genuine bargain, here I list five tips for you to follow. Check them out!

 

1. Check the size of the discount

According to experts, before purchase, it is always worth checking if the same product is much cheaper somewhere else. Some specialist sites can tell you if the product has been discounted more heavily before. For example, Camelcamelcamel.com shows the price history of Amazon products - allowing shoppers to see if they have been offered more cheaply in the past.

When consumer group Which? looked back on retailers' offers last year, it found only 90 out of 178 deals were cheapest on Black Friday. Danny Munday, general manager of HotUKDeals, a deal-sharing website, said retailers sometimes increase the price of an item before a sales event to make the discount look deeper. Members in online forums will share their knowledge of sale prices and recommended retail prices, he added.

 

2. Look for price match

With competition fierce, retailers are starting to match the deals being offered by their rivals. John Lewis is one of the main companies that does this, but Currys and Amazon also have in the past, said Gary Caffell, deal editor at MoneySavingExpert.
"When people are price matching each other, look at other factors like warranty and delivery fees," he said. Electrical goods purchased from John Lewis often have longer warranties, compared with the standard one year. That includes five years on televisions, three years on many own-brand electrical goods and two years on other electrical items. Mr Caffell adds what all the experts agreed with: "Don't get sucked in by the hype and buy something you don't need or can't afford."

 

 3. All-store discounts can offer better value

Retailers often have deals "up to" a big headline percentage, but only some stock will be available at that discount.
"The stronger deals are those which are available across the whole store," Mr Caffell said.
For example, Gap is offering a 40% discount on full-price items and the Disney Store has 20% off.
One thing to be aware of with big Black Friday discounts on certain items is that sometimes they are unwanted stock which is of poor quality, Mr Munday said.
It is also worth looking out for extra discount codes on companies' Facebook pages or mailing lists, for example on delivery charges, they said.

 

4. Know your rights

Experts also cautioned that some Black Friday bargains might be non-refundable.
"Online you've got the right to change your mind and take it back, but that's not necessarily the case in-store," Mr Caffell said.
Research by Which? indicates only 29% of shoppers know that they have more protection when returning goods bought online than in-store.
"It's important to do your research so you know your shopping rights before you buy, just in case you change your mind," said Alex Neill, Which? managing director of home and legal.
Jo Causon, chief executive of the Institute of Customer Service, said customers are increasingly thinking about the shopping experience and aftercare, not just price.
"If you're having to take things back and it's difficult, that's hardly a bargain," she said.

 

5. Brace for website crashes

Once you've found a bargain online, though, you do not want to lose it because the website or app crashes.
Sites including John Lewis, Argos and Tesco Direct have struggled with the traffic in previous years.
In some cases the websites have crashed but are still available on mobile or tablet, Mr Caffell said.
By having a page open across multiple devices, you are better protected from crashes, he said. It also gives you an extra place in online queues, which can be very long.
"The busiest time for people logging on is going to be around midnight and then 08:00 or 09:00 in the morning," Mr Caffell said.







Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Top 8 Best Deals for 2016 Black Friday

As is well known to us all, it is Black Friday one day after American Thanksgiving Day. Black Friday is famous for the shopping mania. Black Friday in 2016 falls on November 25th, and may be more important than ever. There are many potential gifts this year, such as 4K TVs, new game consoles, media hubs, mobile devices, wearables and so on. Here comes the question: where do you go to find the best bargains? Here I make a list of top 8 best online deals for you to visit on November 25th, thus you don't have to go to packed stores and shopping malls.

1. Amazon

Amazon likes to go all-out for Black Friday, and that's certainly true this time around.  It's offering some hefty discounts on its rapidly growing hardware lineup, and you should see sales on at least a few big-name products.  It's not disclosing everything at once, but you can check its Black Friday page to see what's new.


2. Best Buy

As is its custom, Best Buy is running big sales not only on Black Friday, but the 24th (starting at 5PM local time) and the 26th.  Some sales are already running before then, and you can usually get them online.

3. Microsoft

Microsoft wouldn't let Black Friday go without some hefty price cuts.  Most of them start on November 24th, and are available both in its stores and on the web.

 4. Newegg

Online retailer Newegg is best known for its PC parts, but its Black Friday deals (starting November 24th) are eclectic, covering everything from complete PCs to phones to TVs.

 5. Samsung

Just like last year, Samsung wants you to skip third-party retailers and buy straight from the source... namely, its website.  And in some cases, its Black Friday sales (which run all week long) will be worth it.

 6. Staples

Staples' Black Friday deals this year focus on PCs, but there are a few treats in other categories.  They're typically available both in stores and online.

 7. Target

Target has loads of Black Friday deals in 2016, some of them huge -- it may be your destination of choice for Apple gear. Retail stores open at 6PM on Thursday the 24th, but you can also shop online.

 8. Walmart

Walmart is practically the poster child for Black Friday, and its 2016 deals are a good example of why -- it's cutting prices across a slew of gadgets, in some cases by hefty margins.  Retail stores will offer the discounts at 6PM on November 24th, but they're available all day if you shop online.
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