SHOPPING SAVVY
How to make sure you don’t get tricked into a fake deal this Black Friday
IT'S now less than a month until bargain hunters hit the high street for the biggest shopping event of the year.
But how do you know what you're picking up is actually a real bargain on Black Friday? We take a look at the best ways you can avoid being caught-out.
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When is this year's Black Friday?
The shopping extravaganza originates from the US but has become part of the UK's shopping scene in recent years as retailers slash prices on a huge range of goods.
The day has been marred by violence as shoppers have fought over discounted TVs, gadgets and more but that hasn't stopped savvy savers from picking-up great deals both in store and online.
The date of this year's Black Friday is Friday, November 24 but many retailers will be having sales in the week before the big day, so make sure you're keeping an eye out.
How do I know what's on offer is a bargain?
It might look you're getting a real bargain when you're in a shopping frenzy but often discounts aren't as impressive as they first appear.
In fact, research from consumer group Which? found half of 178 deals were actually cheaper on another day in the three months before and two months after Black Friday 2015.
Only 8 per cent of the deals it looked at were the cheapest on Black Friday.
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The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has also warned retailers their sales claims must be "genuine and accurate" and must not "exaggerate" the savings that could be made.
To stop yourself being suckered-in by a sneaky offer, do your own research.
Helpfully, there are a number of websites you can use to check price data of items you are wanting to buy, so you can see if it is a real bargain or not.
CamelCamelCamel lets you search the price history for all items on Amazon and Pricehistory lets you track prices at Argos.
And of course, shop around.
Check the price of the items you're after at a few shops and websites to see where you can get it cheapest, so you'll know if you're actually getting a decent deal.
How can I get the best discounts?
It really pays to be prepared before the day itself.
Create accounts on the retailers' websites you want to use to save time and sign-up to their newsletters as they'll be keen to shout about their best deals.
It's also worth following shops on Facebook and Twitter to see what prices their slashing.
ALL OVER THE SHOPS What are the best deals for Black Friday 2017 and which shop are offering discounts
If you want to be extra clever, try adding items you want to your basket before the day.
That way, the items will already be reduced in your basket and ready to go.
And there's no way around it - if you want the very best deals it pays to do your shopping as early as possible.
The very best deals are likely to go as soon as they go on sale - either online or when the shop opens - so be ready for a late night or early start.
And remember - be sensible.
Don't be tempted to buy things you don't need and might not save you much money anyway.
Our top tips to avoid online fraud this Black Friday
THE inevitable surge in online shopping over Black Friday and Cyber Monday makes it a prime target for online fraudsters. Here's our advice on how to stay safe online...
- Firstly, remember that if something seems too good to be true, it normally is.
- If you like to interact with brands on social media, check they are “verified”. On Facebook and Twitter pages, this means the company will have a blue tick on their profile.
- As a general rule, verified status means the account should be legitimate.
- Look for grammatical and spelling errors; fraudsters are notoriously bad at writing proper English.
- If you receive a message from a “friend” informing you of a freebie, consider whether it’s written in your friend’s normal style.
- If you’re invited to click on an URL, hover over the link to see the address it will take you to – does it look genuine?
- To be on the really safe side, don’t click on unsolicited links in messages, even if they appear to come from a trusted contact.
- Be careful when opening email attachments too. Fraudsters are increasingly attaching files, usually PDFs or spreadsheets, which contain dangerous malware.
- If you receive a suspicious message then report it to the company it came from, block the sender and delete it.
How to bag the best Black Friday 2017 bargains
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