Where to find the UK’s best Black Friday sale offers, from Amazon and Argos to John Lewis and Tesco.
Shoppers will splash out more than £2.5bn on Black Friday deals, as the UK continues its affair with the US-inspired discount day.
Sales will continue over the weekend with £7.3bn expected to be spent between Friday morning and Monday night according to the Centre for Retail Research and the Vouchercodes website.
A fifth more people are expected to hit the high street than on a normal Friday, according to ShopperTrak, but most of the action takes place online in this country, with shoppers choosing to bargain hunt from under the duvet using their phone or laptop rather than queueing up outside stores in the early hours.
Spending is expected to be up this year as more stores join the event, but experts say bargains may be harder to find as stores battle rising costs and inflation.Moneysavingexpert.com advises shopping around and researching the items you want to buy rather than relying on discount promises from retailers. They may be offering “70% off” their own price, but it doesn’t mean the same item isn’t cheaper elsewhere.
Sticking to a shopping list of items you actually want, using price tracker tools such as Camelcamelcamel and watching out for discount codes are also a good idea.
Finally, be wary of “too good to be true” prices – quite possibly they are – so carefully check terms and conditions and buyer reviews for sites you’ve not used before offering very cheap prices.
Amazon UK
What’s happening? Black Friday kicked off for the US website on 17 November and runs until just before midnight on Sunday 26 November. Reflecting its increasing interest in high street retail, Amazon UK is also running a pop-up “experience” in Soho Square, central London, with games, themed workshops, craft tutorials and advice from “gifting experts ”.
Where? Online promotions can be found here and there is a special page dedicated to British small businesses taking part in the sale day here.
What? It is offering 20% off Sony, Samsung, Motorola, Wileyfox and Nokia smartphones and up to 31% off TVs as well as daily deals.
AO
What’s happening? The online electrical goods specialist began a fortnight of deals on 13 November.
What? Deals include De’Longhi Eletta Cappuccino Bean to Cup coffee machine for £399 and KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer for £299.
Argos
What’s happening? The retailer launched two weeks of deals on 15 November. Head office staff will join regular store staff and 10,000 additional seasonal workers in store on Black Friday.
What? The company promises discounts on more than 60,000 including up to half price off toys, 25% and buy one get one half price on jewellery. Top deals include a Dyson V6 Absolute cordless handstick vacuum cleaner for £240 and Zinc Smart X hoverboard for £50.
Asda
What’s happening? For the third year in a row the supermarket will not be carrying special Black Friday deals but it will have some promotions as part of its pre-Christmas activity.
Asos
What’s happening? The online fashion and beauty retailer is expected to knock 30% off pretty much everything as it has done in the last three years.
What? Asos is offering up to 60% off women’s shoes and accessories and men’s jeans and chinos.
B&Q
What’s happening? The DIY chain is running deals on Black Friday, 24 November, and Cyber Monday, 27 November.