With the season of “discounts” underway, it’s easy to be sucked into the spirit of ‘shopping till you drop’. However, there are ways to navigate the Black Friday hype.
According to recent research by the Bureau of Market Research (BMR), approximately R17.3 billion in additional sales are anticipated from South African retailers during the Black Friday promotional period, which is a 6.7% increase over the period in 2021.
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However, the question remains “are Black Friday sales all they are cracked up to be?”
Director at OneDayOnly.co.za, Laurian Venter, says South Africa consumers have become accustomed to discounts of 20% to 30%, whereas globally, Black Friday is all about discounts as far as 99%.
‘Too good to be true’ deals
Consumers are urged to be on the lookout when shopping as they need to ensure that the deal they are getting on a product is actually a discounted deal and not a “fake” offer.
“Sometimes items appear to be heavily discounted, but upon closer examination, customers will note that the “original pricing” may be artificially inflated, and the discount is not a fair reflection of the item’s value,” Venter said.
ALSO READ: Black Friday financial reality check: Pay your bills before you splurge
Five tips to help navigate the hype
Here are the following tips for those eager to jump into the upcoming deals:
- Do your due diligence and know where you want to shop – and exactly what you want to buy.
- Get onto your e-tailer websites, or apps, early and know what you want to buy.
- Its fastest fingers first – keep your eyes on the prize and fingers on that refresh button.
- Pre-load your payment details.
- Check out or miss out – it’s as simple as that!
NOW READ: LISTEN: How to score on Black Friday, while avoiding the debt trap
