Tips to beat the Black Friday shopping madness
Eyewitness News has put together a list on how you can make the best of this year’s shopping craze.
JOHANNESBURG - The festive season is upon us and that means indulgence, family time and shopping!
According to Wikipedia, Black Friday is an informal name for the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States which has been regarded as the beginning of the country's Christmas shopping.
South Africa has adopted this shopping craze, with some retailers bringing you massive deals.
This, of course, means that shops will be packed as people try to get the best deals.
Both online and physical stores will take part, with Game and Makro having already released their deals. Takealot is also usually a popular online destination for shoppers.
Eyewitness News has put together a list on how you can make the best of this year’s shopping craze:
Tip 1: If you are shopping online, set your alarm for 11:30pm on Thursday 22 November:
Most sales start as the clock strikes 12 - Takealot’s starts at 12.01 - so make sure you have data and your Wi-Fi isn’t past its cap.
Tip 2: Create a wishlist so you can checkout quickly on the day
Go online, create your wishlist in advance and then, when the sale starts, quickly go to your list, see which items are marked down enough and press ‘checkout’ to beat your shopping competitors to the bargain!
Klyne Maharaj, Head of Brand at Superbalist.com, says a wishlist is your battle strategy for the big day.
“Line up the pieces you like best and prepare to take them right to checkout when the time comes. It’s going to be carnage so you don’t want to be browsing when half of SA is also online and trying to cart-jack you.”
Tip 3: Do your homework
Get as many newsletters and flyers as you can and monitor bargains closely.
Tip 4: Have a plan of action on Black Friday
Some of your purchases may be in the real world and some in cyberspace. A good plan is to start with cyberspace early and then head off to the physical shops once you’ve done the calm and peaceful online shopping.
Tip 5: Set a budget
Decide ahead of time what you plan to spend on the Black Friday sales and stick to it. You could quickly find yourself shopping for Christmas 2018, 2019 and 2020 if you are not careful. Be responsible and remember that the expensive festive season is coming up, so you’ll need a bit left over for this!
Tip 6: Get the app
Download the app for your favourite online retailers early. Retailers like Takealot and Superbalist have apps that allow you to get access to pre-Black Friday sales. This will help you to browse much faster and they’ll also send you push notifications of the big discounts to look out for.
