Martin Lewis is best known for his advice on how to save money, but now he has turned his attention towards the Black Friday sales, offering potential deal hunters some of his top tips to bag the best Black Friday deals for them.
Writing recently on Money Saving Expert, Lewis broke his advice down into three key points.
1. Check prices now: Firstly, Martin recommends that if you've been thinking of buying a product in this year's Black Friday sales, then you check how much it costs right now. And do so at multiple retailers, too. By doing this you can get a benchmark for just how much the product is retailing for ahead of the Black Friday sales, thereby getting a benchmark for just how good a 'deal' is.
Here at T3 we recommend using the price comparison website camelcamelcamel.com to check the pricing history of products.
2. Do your research: Next up, Martin Lewis suggest that each deal hunter do their own research thoroughly. This means vigorously checking all available retailers for a products price when a deal is surfaced, as it could be cheaper at a different store. Lewis suggests using tools like Google Shopping, PriceSpy and PriceRunner to help you.
Here at T3 we always say you should look at a deal's price rather than a deal's saving, as the former never lies while the latter often does.
3. Ask yourself, do I need it: Finally, Lewis also suggests deal hunters take things back to basics and simply ask themselves if they really need a product before they buy it in the Black Friday sales. After all, Martin correctly states that a deal is "not a saving if you weren't going to buy it anyway".
Here at T3 we couldn't agree more with this final point. You don't have to buy anything on Black Friday if it doesn't suit you, your needs, or your budget.
Here at T3 we'd add a few more tips to Lewis' suggestions. We've been covering Black Friday deals for going on a decade now and in that time we've discovered a wealth of useful information ourselves.
T3's extra Black Friday shopping tips
1. Shopping a year behind can pay dividends: Often the very best Black Friday deals we've seen are on products from the previous year. Just because a product wasn't launched in the same year of the Black Friday event doesn't mean its bad, and in many cases offers 95% plus of the experience of any newer model. As such, you can get some great products on Black Friday while being really kind to your bank balance. Basically, ignore the age of a product and instead focus instead on its quality.
2. Pay attention to small product details: The smallest of product name or spec details can make a huge difference to just how good that product is. For example, loads of TVs will advertise themselves as 4K and HDR, but that does not necessarily mean that it is a good product. What's the panel type? What's the refresh rate? What are the viewing angles like? What is the TVs peak brightness? What type of HDR can it deliver? Don't get suckered into buying poor products.
3. Remember, sales run right through the winter holiday season: Lastly, don't get pressured into buying anything on Black Friday because you'll feel empty handed or as if you've missed out if you don't. Retailers will be dropping Cyber Monday deals as well as holding Christmas, Boxing Day and New Years sales, so by keeping your powder dry over Black Friday you'll be able to bag the deal you actually want and avoid buyer's remorse.
