Black Friday is coming WHOOHOO! I LOVE a Black Friday sale because it gives you access to products both locally and abroad, at MUCH better prices. South Africa has only recently started to get into the groove of Black Friday sales where they REALLY offer us something worth spending on. The reason why you see so many crazy videos coming from the States with shopper grabbing TVs is because the deals ARE THAT GOOD. R15 000 TV down to R5000 <– THAT’S why people act that way!
Each year South Africa has been slowly growing and offering consumers specials that they can’t refuse. Pick n Pay already has “Sign up for Black Friday e-mailers” (which I have done), Facebook events for Black Friday, searches and banner ads are live. Hell, even Ackermans Black Friday and Jet online or Jet clothing are getting prepped for the occasion! And we love it! So, without further ado, here are my:
10 Tips on How To Save Online for Black Friday:
1. Add Items to Your Online Basket Now
If you’ve had your eye on some products for a while, NOW is the time to add them to your basket. That way, when Black Friday kicks in you’ll know EXACTLY what you want and will be able to check out faster. Simply log in, check out and you’re good to go!
2. Add Items to Your Wishlist Online Now
Sometimes, websites refresh when it’s Black Friday, forcing all baskets to be emptied on the day. If this happens, then you’ll lose all the items you’ve saved. So put them BOTH in your basket AND on your wish list so that you can quickly access them again, add to Basket (if it did empty) and check out.
3. Make Sure Your Credit Card is Loaded To the Website
Sometimes sites only have a 5 minute check out. If this is the case, and you’re not prepared, you may lose your items again. Things sell out QUICKLY on Black Friday so when you check out, you want to make sure you can process your request ASAP.
4. Make Sure You Have Money In Your Credit Card
I’m one of those shoppers that constantly says, “Just hang on for me quickly. I’m just transferring money into my credit card so I get more eBucks.” Sad, but true. Shopping on my credit card gives me WAY more eBucks than if I use my debit card so it’s totally worth taking the 15 seconds to do it. Thank you FNB App!
But you won’t be able to do this if you’re in a hurry to check out online, so make sure you have enough credit in your credit card to check out immediately. If it bounces, you’ll probably lose your shopping.
5. Add Your Delivery Address
Sometimes it’s easier to add your delivery address ahead of time so that you can check out faster. Sites like Kylie Cosmetics (who don’t ship to South Africa so you need to pay a courier service) requires your postbox to be listed correctly before checking out. Add ALL the addresses you’ll think you’ll need in order to check out more quickly. This will make your shopping experience much easier.
6. Buy a Voucher Ahead of Time
Some international sites are “iffy” about having a South African credit card with an address that doesn’t match (if you use a South African credit card but ship to a postbox in the UK or USA). If this is the case, a great way to get around it is by buying a voucher on the site ahead of time. Buy and load the voucher and THEN check out. They don’t care if your delivery address doesn’t match on cash payments.
7. Slow Delivery & Christmas Cut Off
While you get mega savings on a Black Friday sale, it often takes quite a while for the order to be fulfilled. Because there are SO many transactions that take place on Black Friday, it does take time for the orders to be filled (sometimes weeks). Remember, most shopping specials close on the 15th of December so that they have time to deliver – it’s probably better to shop on Black Friday so you have more chance of getting your items before the Christmas cut off.
8. Make a Genuine List
Black Friday is tempting because there are SO many deals available, but the best course of action is prioritise the things you’ve really wanted for some time. For me:
- Headboard
- Coffee Table
- DECENT handheld vacuum (don’t get the R300 from Pick n Pay, I can vouch they are RUBBISH!)
- Morphe Bruches
- iPhone charger
- Soundbar
- Bedside lamp
- Salt lamp (to help people keep calm at work haha)
Focusing on items that you would be prepared to pay full price for is where Black Friday can really save the day. Do your research ahead of time, add your most likely purchases to your wishlist and then see if it comes on sale. That way you can prioritise the items you REALLY want before splurging on things you don’t REALLY need. (An A List and B list can also help so you prioritise, but then fall back on the B list if A isn’t on sale.)
9. Shop For December
If you have the will power not to plough through all your perishables, Black Friday can also be a good time to shop for festive favourites. Promotions like Quality Street chocolates, wine or 2 litre Coca Cola’s (although limited) can help you shop ahead of the silly season. We all know that January can be a LONG month so saving ahead of time can make the season more manageable.
10. Cyber Monday
Don’t forget that Cyber Monday kicks off after Black Friday where electronics and technology often goes on sale on the following Monday. Again, make a list and carefully consider what you want to buy and then see if you get lucky if it goes on special on Cyber Monday.
