Black Friday...

[pastafreak]

Are there actually any deals...or is it all a scam?
I remember seeing good discounts a few years ago, but now it just seems to be a con to make us look at something that's not there. Oh, and didn't it used to be one day only...the Friday after Thanksgiving...when Christmas officially started stateside.

[wolf63]

It is just a way for the retailers to get rid of their old stock.

I was looking at a half-price SodaStream on Amazon. I discovered that it was a discontinued model and was actually for sale at the lower price everywhere I looked.

Are there any other American concepts that we still have to inherit?

[AuntPG]

Its only been Black Friday in the UK for a few years I think. A couple of years ago I did get a big bargain on a new iphone, and I think you can get some deals on electrical goods.
BTW -I always thought the last Friday in November was called Black Friday because that was the last payday before Christmas so everyone was in the 'black' at the bank. Yesterday I heard it was because everyone took the Friday after Thanksgiving off work, so had more time to shop -I can't believe that one -can you?

[pastafreak]

The earliest use of the term goes back to the 1900s I think. But the day after Thanksgiving has always been a major shopping day, so I'd think the modern reference comes from that. A lot of people have or take the day off. Long weekend =shopping.

[AuntPG]

Maybe Black Friday means something else in Canada because as you know we don't have Thanksgiving at the same time as the USA but we have Black Friday the same day.

[douglas9401]

Black Fridays matter.

[goodgoalie]

[ladybirder]

I've got my eye on a wool herringbone coat I want to buy. As it is quite expensive a friend has suggested I wait and see if it gets discounted on Black Friday which I hadn't thought of but I'm now doing. Trouble is I can't stop myself checking it out every 5 mins to make sure it's still there. Do I buy it now at the full price or sit twitching until Friday LOL?
I'm not even sure this company does Black Friday discounts.

[goodgoalie]

Why don't you post details of the coat, ladybirder? Then we can keep a lookout for you - someone like Chris will no doubt be able to track down a cheaper deal :)

[ladybirder]

Thank you for your suggestion gg. I'll have a think about it.

[douglas9401]

As a nation we're known for being easy marks for all strains of spiv.

How many pigs in pokes have we been sold over the years by fly-by-night politicians and their hired guns only to find out later that we're at best no better off than we were and sometimes much the poorer?

Solar panels with big returns, diesel cars: the future, ground and air source heat pumps that only work properly in hermetically sealed homes, wood pellet and log burners and so many more, all ending in disappointment except for the suppliers.

Yes, Black Friday in the UK is a scam.

[barry1010]

Will there be fisticuffs in the supermarket aisles over cheap unbranded tvs this year? I’ll be very surprised if Black Friday attracts much attention now everyone is used to it.

[Buenchico]

Black Friday is largely a retail con trick. See here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59380453

However there are still a few bargains to be found, even if linking them to Black Friday is a bit crafty. For example, Morrisons occasionally offer full breakfasts in their café at half price. As they happen to be doing do this week, they've called it a Black Friday promotion:
https://my.morrisons.com/blackfriday/
(Irrespective of whether it's really a Black Friday deal or not £2.97 for a big meal out is a decent price anyway!)

Morrisons are also selling bottles of Prosecco for just £4.49. They've labelled it as a Black Friday deal in their stores (but not, I see, on their website) even though the offer doesn't end until the 12th of December.

Amazon periodically drop the prices of their own products, such as the Kindle range. They almost invariably do so as part of a Black Friday promotion but that doesn't mean that you won't be able to find those products at the same low prices at certain other times of the year as well.

[pastafreak]

I just checked my supermarket of choice...Sainsbury's...and if they have any deals they are keeping them a secret.

[jno]

ladybirder, try googling the name of your preferred retailer +"black friday"

With luck you'll get results showing they did it last year, or they're doing it this year, or maybe a story saying they don't do it at all.

[THECORBYLOON]

Buy the coat online and you then have twenty-eight days to return it (fourteen days to tell them it's being returnt plus fourteen more days to return it).

If the price goes down within that period, return it and then buy another at the cheaper price.

[ladybirder]

Same as me Pasta, I can't get an answer either.
Chris/Jno would you try for me with your suggestions please as it doesn't work for me. The company is poetryfashion.co.uk.
Corby I think you would get the price the article is selling for at the time you returned it.

[jno]

ladybirder, this says up to 50% off

https://www.dealscove.com/coupons/poetryfashion.co.uk

However, that's a third party page and might be total rubbish. There's no mention on poetryfashion's own page, so I wouldn't get my hopes up.

In future, the best thing is to sign up to a company's emails a week or two in advance: if they're doing black Friday they'll let you know.

[ladybirder]

Thank you jno. I've checked and I used to be signed up to them but unsubscribed last year. So I've rejoined LOL.
I tried those coupons but I'm afraid got nowhere but thanks for trying.
Sorry Corby, I checked the Martin Lewis website and it's up to the company if they will do as you say. I don't want to do it that way, but thank you.

[LadyCG]

I've had my eye on Graham & Brown Wall murals for a while now for the two alcoves in Ratty's room. Yesterday it was 20% off the murals and the paint so each mural went down from £209 each to £167 each and I saved a bit on the paint too.

I'm a happy mum-of-a-rat.

[theshedman]

When using Amazon I go to "camelcamelcamel" it shows you on there what the cheapest it has been and the most expensive plus everything in between so you know if getting good deal or not. Often shows what time of year is best to buy as well.