Black Friday is the time when retailers tend to launch the biggest sales of the year, from toys to clothing, home appliances and even electronics. A lot of consumers put off their usual shopping just to wait until this point.
Food, clothing, home appliances… if you’re looking to buy one of them, chances are there’ll be a big sale on Black Friday on November 25th. Take advantage quickly.
But just because you’re looking to grab something labeled “Black Friday super sale” doesn’t mean you’re actually getting the “bargain” of the best deal on the occasion. Especially with electronics, cheap products can mean that you are tricked into buying cheap and poor quality models.
Here’s how to avoid the confusing Black Friday “black deals” you might need, to make sure you’re getting the best for every penny.
Be careful when buying electronics on Black Friday.
Cheap products do not mean good products
When you see a children’s clothing or toy item with a large Black Friday label on it, you should take advantage of the offer. Chances are it’s the same product that sells for a higher price on other days of the year. However, the same will not be possible for TVs, refrigerators or other electronic items. Stores often take cheaper, lower-quality versions of the same electronics and mix them with other discounted products. TVs have long been one of the best sellers and there are big Black Friday sales around the globe. But be careful.
Think about the value of what you’re buying. It would be better to spend $1,200 on a TV that lasts for eight years, than a TV that costs just $800 on Black Friday but has half the shelf life.
Always remember that retailers are not in business to lose money. It’s true that some retailers may offer steep discounts on certain items, in limited quantities, to attract customers on Black Friday. But don’t believe they will accept to count change on a best shopping occasion of the year like this. Instead, they will likely set a lower price to sell more of the low-quality electronics, a price they are still financially profitable for. And the best way for you is not to fall victim to that trap.
Please check the product number before purchasing.
Take time to research and wait patiently
To avoid being scammed, you should do a bit of research and get to know the product. The easiest way to know that you’re buying the right product is to check the model or serial number. And with online shopping, finding and double-checking these numbers is now quick and easy.
Suppose a certain company sells a 52-inch TV with model number OLED5450. If you see a 52-inch OLED TV from the same company advertised for a much lower price than usual on Black Friday, see if it has the same serial number. If it’s another, you can be pretty sure it’s not the TV you’d normally see them for sale on a regular basis.
And one more piece of advice in shopping for electronics, it’s better to skip Black Friday and switch to shopping on Cyber Monday. It is the first Monday after Black Friday. Cyber Monday is usually the cheapest day for electronics, with an average discount of 18% on 17% of items, according to a USA Today report. Of course, this is a report based on research in the US market. In Vietnam, if you are not really sure, go back to the research step and compare the prices of the products you intend to buy, no matter what the occasion.
There are a number of websites or built-in browser tools that can tell you if products across several platforms are at a good price over their entire lifecycle. Don’t fall victim to a falsely advertised shoddy product during Black Friday.
Sharing on social media platforms, many users also said they had discovered the “not really consumer-friendly” pricing strategies of many retailers.
“The TV I’m interested in costs $799 for a few weeks now. I’m planning to buy them on Black Friday. But closer to the sale, retailer BestBuy has added the “Black Friday” label to this TV, but The price of the product is still $799. The only difference is that its original price has been pushed to $899 to make customers believe it has been discounted by $100.On the Amazon platform they do the same thing, except minus the “regular” price they say is only $849, which is a reduced price of only $50,” one user in the US shared.
“This happens every year. So make sure you know the true value of the item you’re looking for over time and don’t be fooled,” another commented.
Refer to Lifehacker, Fool