Black Friday got its name from the spike in sales after a retail slump of eleven months of losses. This recovery was referred to by retailers as being pushed “into the black”. In the pre-Internet days, US retailers would refer to “doorbuster” deals, as shoppers would force their store doors open. The holiday has mostly skipped South Africa, until a huge surge of similar doorbusting experiences began around 5 years ago – leading to similar injures as those seen in the US.
However, one doesn’t have to get in harm’s way to get a deal. In fact, many of the deals have already started in the online-only space, from Takealot’s Blue Dot Sale to Incredible Connection’s early deals.
With the biggest discount holiday coming up tomorrow, we’ve gathered the best tips (and deals) one should look out for this Black Friday.
FNB – Stay within your means
Although FNB has a strong credit facility for its clients, it’s warning customers to be prudent in a downgraded economy.
FNB CEO Jacques Celliers says: “Year-end presents consumers with temptations to overspend, but it is prudent to keep one eye on budget plans for 2020. Those who have funds can still capitalise on opportunities such as Black Friday to make once-off purchases at lower prices, however it’s important to remember that the festive season period is very long.”
Visa – Careful how you shop
Payments giant Visa has outlined five tips to make sure consumers get what they purchase this Black Friday. Scammers have kicked it into high gear, so following these tips can make one less prone to being scammed.
Avoid open public Wi-Fi
Although many South Africans connect using public Wi-Fi, buying a little bit of data could save users from a lot of headaches later on. Only connect to Wi-Fi networks that have a password to connect, otherwise it could leave one’s information vulnerable to other users on the network.
Don’t click on ads
Many websites are pretending to be well-known retailers, and “spoof” a similar looking website to steal card information. To stay safe, rather visit the retailer’s website by typing in the URL or visit their app to verify the deal.
Buy from places you know
Check with friends if they have used the online service and had a good experience. There will be many fly-by-night stores opening shop for Black Friday.
Look out for HTTP and HTTPS
Legitimate retailers will always use HTTPS, a secure version of HTTP, to keep you safe. In the address bar, depending on the browser, it will show a locked lock or say “Not Secure”. Never shop at sites that say not secure in the address bar.
Keep your phone handy
If your bank hasn’t set up SMS alerts for transactions and 3D Secure approval, visit it now to activate it. Even if you aren’t shopping this Black Friday, keep an eye out for transactions, as cyber criminals will attempt to hide transactions they make among the transactions you may be making.
OneDayOnly – Get prepared in advance
Matthew Leighton, spokesperson at OneDayOnly.co.za, has come up with five of the tips for getting ready this Black Friday:
Know your websites
Leighton says: “Familiarise yourself with the website the day before– that means pre-logging into the website of your choice and for the extra-attentive, pre-loading your payment details. That way you can focus all your energy on the deals on the day.
Pull an all-nighter
“Our sale is from midnight to midnight. 00:00:01 is when we officially ‘open our doors’ and sales continue until stocks run out or midnight rolls around. Hit the caffeine and try stay up until midnight. You are automatically guaranteed to be one of the first to see the deals as they go live.
Make a shopping list of items you want
“A shopping list always helps – it’s a great way to keep track of what you want so you’re not wasting time.
Pre-load your payment details
“The longest part of the checkout process is completing your payment method which can be pre-saved beforehand. It just means you can go from browsing to checkout as quickly as possible.
Check out or miss out
“This is the biggest day for deals and if you think that Samsung 65″ UHD TV will still be there when you return, you need to rethink your game plan. Having an item in your cart does not secure it. You need to check out or miss out.”
Visit the next page to see our shopping list of deals for Black Friday.
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