Members of hotukdeals reveal how to bag a bargain during Black Friday

London, Monday 6th November 2017: Deal savvy shoppers using hotukdeals, the UK’s biggest deal-sharing community, have been sharing their Black Friday tips to help other consumers get access to the best discounts and prevent them from overspending.

Before Black Friday (Friday 24th November):

Do your research and be prepared – To give yourself a better chance of bagging the bargains you want, at a time when items sell out quickly, make a list of what you want to buy so you can find out in advance which retailers will have deals on those products. By sticking to your list you also avoid going over budget.

Sign up and save – Sign up to newsletters and emails from your favourite retailers to get early access to offers and VIP slots. With this, the trick is to shop online as early as possible so you don’t miss out. Some members suggest taking out a 30-day Amazon Prime trial to get access to their early discounts – just remember to cancel If you don’t want the trial to continue. As well as emails and newsletters you can also sign up to free WhatsApp messages from hotukdeals, who send deal updates to ensure consumers never miss a deal.

Prepare your online payments in advance – Check your online payment details and delivery address that you have stored for your favourite retailers to speed up the check-out process, as items may be sold whilst you’re updating or the site could crash with the increased number of visitors.

Buy discounted gift cards – To make extra savings, purchase discounted gift cards for your favourite retailers to buy what you need during the sales event. Costco is a good place to find discounts on gift cards or one member suggests using Zeek.

Get social - Follow retailer social media pages as well as the hotukdeals Facebook page, where consumers can get access to the new Black Friday page, which is updated with all the latest offers as they’re spotted – including heads up messages so consumers know in advance where the best deals will be. 

Be a basket bandit – Add items you plan on buying during Black Friday to your online basket in advance, so when they day comes all you need to do is check the discount and check out. One member advises that this also prevents overspending as you only buy what you need. 

During the Black Friday sales:

Shop online – To find the best deals members of hotukdeals recommend shopping online. If you’re shopping via a computer make sure it’s updated before you power up on Black Friday. If there are deals to be found in-store, members recommend taking a fully charged mobile along to compare against online prices. Members also recommend shopping at out of town locations to avoid the crowds.

Use multiple devices – One member sets up a laptop, two tablets and a smartphone to get access to deals on their wish list in case there is a virtual queue. If you’re using one device, have multiple tabs open on your browser, so you’re ready to shop as the deals go live at each retailer.

Shop at the right time – It’s hard to know when to shop for the best deals, especially with some retailers starting their offers before Black Friday itself. Members recommend staying up all night or taking the day off work, so not to miss any offers. Others suggest shopping from 6pm the night before when some deals are revealed or from midnight. One member said: “I set my alarm for 3am and start shopping – most stock is updated around that time and more deals are loaded.” Another member advised that this is the quietest time when sites are less likely to crash.

Let the deals come to you: Set keyword alerts via the free hotukdeals app for iOS and Android and via the website for the items you’re looking to buy, so all the deals for that product come straight to your smartphone or inbox, so you never miss a deal.

Make sure you’re getting the best price - “Just because an item is cheap, it doesn’t mean it isn’t cheaper elsewhere,” advised one member of hotukdeals, so always check to see if you’re getting the best price. Members advise checking the price history of a product and comparing prices to ensure the discount is worthwhile as some retailers “hike the price up to discount before Black Friday, so it looks like you’re getting a better deal than you are”. Consumers using hotukdeals will know if a deal is good or not if it’s voted hot by its members.

Beware of cheap, low quality items – According to experienced Black Friday shoppers on hotukdeals, unwanted stock gets pushed at this time, so beware of elevated discounts and check reviews to make sure you’re getting a worthwhile deal on a quality product. One member said: “If you’re interested in a high value item, research beforehand to make sure you’re getting the best value possible and keep in mind that a slightly dearer, more recent model might be better value in the long run.”

Be patient – One member advised that it took them two hours and numerous attempts to land a discounted laptop they were waiting on during Black Friday, so be patient if you’re waiting on something you really want.   

Stack discounts and make extra savings – One member recommends checking for discount codes the night before Black Friday to try alongside the deals to see if they’ll stack to make extra savings.

Prioritise products with low stock levels – One hotukdeals member advises that to increase your chances of getting the products you want at discounted prices you should “check stock levels the night before and prioritise items low in stock first”. You can do this via websites such as Stock Informer.

To find the best Black Friday deals as posted and voted for by consumers, please visit www.hotukdeals.com.

About hotukdeals: hotukdeals is the UK’s biggest deal-sharing community where users find, rate and share the best deals from on and off the high street every day to provide inspiration to others on what to buy at the best prices. Members use the temperature gauge to vote on deals so other users know that the hotter the deal, the stronger the offer. hotukdeals has over 1.6m members and is a founding member of Pepper.com, the world’s largest social commerce group.