Black Fridays sales are a traditional American retail event that has made its way to Australia, along with its online counterpart Cyber Monday. Whilst not all shops will do in-store sales in Australia, you will be able to nab plenty of bargains online both here and overseas. There will be flash sales that run for a small amount of time whilst other retailers may offer big discounts over a day or a few days to its customers. This is the ideal time to nab Christmas presents, a new outfit for New Year’s Eve or just something that you’ve had your eye on for ages. However to grab yourself a true bargain, it pays to be savvy and employ a strategy so you don’t come away with an impulse purchase that you’ll never use.
Here are a few of my tips for scoring yourself some great buys and learn how to shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales like a shopping whiz.
Visit your fave retailers in the lead up to both days
There are some stores that will offer discounts well before Black Friday and Cyber Monday so it pays to check them out to see what’s on offer. You may be able to grab something early and beat the rush but still pay a significantly discounted price. To make this easier bookmark all of your regular shopping haunts so you can efficiently visit them in the lead up to the big sale days.
Sign up to your favourite retailers’ newsletters and social media feeds
If you haven’t already be sure to sign up for the newsletter of your favourite stores. This is often where you’ll find out about what’s on offer, with some giving loyal customers a sneak peek before everything kicks off.
Also follow your go-to brands on social media via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Most stores will often use these channels advertise their sales and you don’t want to miss out on a potential bargain.
Map out your target buys
Have a checklist of what you want to buy well ahead of time. This will help you hone in on what it is that you really need and want as opposed to buying something that you’ve just spotted but may not necessarily find much use for. Also you can check ahead of time which stockists offer what it is you’re after so you know exactly where to go when sale time starts.
Shop around
If there’s a particular item that you have in mind then check out a few different stores to see how much they are selling it for. This will allow you to find it at the best price. Often one retailer may offer it at the lowest price but on Black Friday and Cyber Monday other retailers may be offering huge discounts which will allow you to snap it up at a fraction of the cost.
Try on what you can in person
If you’ve got your heart set on a few things make the effort to try them on in person so you know exactly the size you’re looking for. This is especially important for buying online where you may have to act quickly and you don’t want to miss out because you’re still umming and aaahing about what size you should get.
Shop consciously
As with all sales my golden rule is not to get swept up in the excitement of it all and try to stick to a shopping list. Whilst something might be cheap at the start, it’s really not if I find I’ll hardly use it and it just ends up gathering dust in my closet. That said, it’s definitely a great time to snap up some good buys and take advantage of all the deals on offer. May the shopping gods be ever in your favour!
Tell me—what’s the best bargain you’ve ever got from sale shopping?
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