Make the most of Black Friday with a good game plan

Australian consumers are set to spend a record-breaking $5.4 billion in the upcoming four-day shopping bonanza, a big jump on last year’s $3.8 billion.

The mammoth shopping event officially kicks off on November 26 with Black Friday and extends until Cyber Monday. However, many retailers are offering sales right now. Some offer savings of up to 80 percent.

The increased spend this year may be attributed to Aussies becoming far more comfortable with online shopping during Covid. With this extra confidence, we’re expecting people to be more adventurous with their online purchases.

As a rule of thumb, if a retailer has an online store, it’s likely they will have some form of Black Friday sale. The most popular items include technology and home entertainment products, fashion and toys

Before things heat up this weekend, here are our tips to ensure you lock in a great deal.

Black Friday 2021 wardrobe updates

Clothes and shoes are set to be the most popular shopping item, with 42 percent of Black Friday bargain hunters planning to upgrade their wardrobe.

   

It’s estimated that $80 billion in fashion purchases end up in landfills each year but there is a way to purchase thoughtfully. Before you start adding items to your shopping cart, check out Green Friday.

Green Friday is an initiative from the guys that brought you Releaseit, addresses it. It draws attention to brands with sustainable practices and enables you to access special offers from businesses taking care of our planet.

Another option is Black Fridye. Black Fridye offers a service that will dye any garment from any brand in any colour to black to extend the lifespan of that fashion item. It costs between $19 and $49, depending on the garment.

Whichever way you update your wardrobe, a great fashion purchase is one that you will actually enjoy wearing. Research your size ahead of time, by checking the online sizing guides or trying on similar items in store, so you don’t waste time once the sales start.

How to ensure a good deal

To get the best bargains, you need a good game plan. Here’s one we prepared for you.

Write down your top 5 items

Consider ahead of time the things you want to buy, including potential brands. Take a look at ‘wishlists’ you’ve created in the past to see if those items are now on sale.

Prioritise purchases

Decide if it's more important to save money or have the latest model. Often these types of sales are used to clear old stock, so make sure you know the price difference between old models and new ones. You may also want to research the differences between the old and new models, as sometimes the differences are minor and not worth the extra cash anyway.

Sign up to retailers’ newsletters and social media channels

After deciding which brands you’d like to buy from, subscribe to their newsletters and social media channels as you can often get early access to discounts.

Read terms and conditions

Pay particular attention to refund and delivery information as this will save you from post-purchase regrets.

Create a ‘bargains’ spreadsheet

If you’re planning to buy a few things, a categorised spreadsheet will help you keep tabs on items across a variety of stores. List the item, the full price and a link to where the item can be purchased. Remember it’s only a bargain if it’s something you actually want or need so keep track of your spending.

 

Will Black Friday purchases arrive in time for Christmas?

 

Items bought from international retailers may not arrive in time for Christmas due to shipping delays into Australia and within Australia.

If you are buying items from local retailers, it's really important to check the delivery timeframes on websites when shopping, and then add a week to allow for postal delays.

To ensure Christmas gifts and cards arrive on time, Australia Post has set the following deadlines:

- All parcels sent via regular post must be sent by Monday 13 December.

- All parcels sent via express post must be sent by Monday 20 December.

There are other courier companies aside from Australia Post. One other option is courier company e-go.com.au. They are frequently faster and cheaper than Australia Post and will also collect and drop off door to door, which means you can avoid the usual Christmas queues at the post office.

Scammers love Black Friday sales, too

Scammers love frenzied online activity. The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) is warning that Australians have already lost about $12.9 million to online shopping, including classifieds scams, so far this year.

The ACCC’s Scamwatch has received over 26,000 reports of online shopping scams, more than the total reported through all of 2020.

But you don’t need to sweat about scams, if you follow these tips.

Best Black Friday 2021 fashion deals

Clothing

• • Myer is offering 50 percent off women’s fashion and 60 percent off men’s fashion and additional discounts for Myer One members
  • David Jones has 50 percent off select men’s and women’s fashion, with 25 percent off full-priced fashion from select labels
  • ASOS gives you savings of up to 80 percent off final clearance items
  • The Iconic has up to 30 percent off during its Black Friday sale starting at 7am Monday November 22 and running until 11.59pm Monday November 29
  • Cotton On is offering 30 percent off
  • City Beach has savings of up to 70 percent
  • Hugo Boss is offering 30 percent off select pieces on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
  • General Pants Co. has great bargains with 60 percent off storewide
  • Calvin Klein underwear are a great buy at 40 percent off
  • Bonds faithfuls will love up to 50 percent off

Activewear

• • Lorna Jane is offering 25 percent off sitewide
  • PE Nation sales include up to 40 percent off select styles from November 24 to 29
  • Rebel is promoting up to 40 percent off sports clothing

Footwear

 

• • Footlocker is offering up to 50 percent off
  • Adidas has savings of 40 percent sitewide, early access only available to members
  • Reebok NanoX1 range will be reduced from $190 to $130 from November 25 to 29, while other styles will be available for $100 at an extensive sneaker sale
  • Sketchers is offering up to 50 percent off almost everything
  • Clarks will be up to 70 percent off
  • Crocs is offering up to 60 percent off clearance stock
  • Nine West has a further 30 percent off already reduced footwear

Best Black Friday 2021 electronics deals

Black Friday sales include great savings on electronics. The most sought-after items include discounted laptops, TVs or smart TVs and microwaves, according to internet search data. And the top three most-searched-for devices included Nintendo Switch, Playstation and Apple AirPods.

If your home PC or entertainment setup needs a refresh, you’ll want to take advantage of these bargains.

• • Dell is offering up to 40 percent off selected laptops
  • Lenovo has up to 35 percent off IdeaPads and ThinkPads
  • Sony is offering 48 percent off refurbished 55-inch Sony A8F 4K OLED TV - now nearly half price at $2099
  • Kogan has 30 percent off TVs
  • Bose is offering up to 40 percent off
  • Bing Lee has some great deals, including $500 off the Hisense ULED 4K smart TV
  • The Good Guys has discounted Apple iPhone 12 mini 128GB by $331 or 26 percent - now $948
  • eBay is selling iPhone X for $625 (retailed for $1579 four years ago)
  • Amazon has some great deals, including $155 off the Apple MacBook Air and 30 percent off RRP on selected Samsung Galaxy Tab S7/S7+

Best Black Friday 2021 gaming deals

The Black Friday sales are a good time to stock up on video games. Last year, the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S had only been released weeks prior to the sales period, so deals on these were few and far between. This year, there are bound to be deals for games and accessories for both of these consoles.

 

PlayStation Plus is an online subscription service for PlayStation consoles providing two free games per month, multiplayer access and exclusive discounts. The subscription normally costs $79.95 per year, but Amazon has it discounted to $52 as part of its Black Friday sale. That's a saving of $27.95 or 34 percent.

If you’re looking to buy a Nintendo Switch, Dick Smith has some great deals, including $50.95 off Nintendo Switch Lite Console.

And just remember, if you stumble on a glitch or two, we’re here to help you resolve the issue, Black Friday sales or otherwise.

Tell us what’s gone wrong and what it’ll take for you to become a satisfied customer. Just say the magic words "Help Me Handle It".