'Black Friday' Money Saving offers

Primrose

My email In Box is being overwhelmed with 'Black Friday' money off marketing offers. I wonder how many people are being persuaded to spend money they can't afford on items they don't really need just because the prices are being reduced?
I don't recall this kind of marketing being so intense in previous years. Another custom imported from the U.S.!

bossymoo

I've saved loads of money this Black Friday! I'm staying well clear of any shops! :rotfl:

Eyeore

I've saved loads too - just deleted about 50 emails telling me how much money I can save on stuff I really don't need!

on the flip side you can totally see how easy it may be to get sucked into thinking you 'need' these things!

ruby_eskimo

The only thing I've bought today is a coat for OH for Christmas that he asked for. 30% off the RRP was a pretty good deal I thought. Other than that I'm staying well clear!

WantToBeSE

I think its madness! I have seen some videos on Facebook of people fighting in shops over things like computer consoles etc.


I have stayed well clear of it all. I don't need anything, so matter how much of a bargain something is, I wont be buying it.

Grouchy

People lose their minds (and decorum by the sounds of it) and buy anything that has a red sticker without knowing whether the item is any good or not.

A friend of mine works in a big department store electrical department. What they discount are generally old models soon to be replaced, ranges they have had a lot of negative feedback and returns on or they have had trouble shifting. And yes they are still making a substantial profit.

Snorkypants

OH and I took part in the Black Friday shenanigans today, DSS is getting a joint present of an Xbox 360 this year from OH and DSS's Mum. We got one from Asda for £99, so he's getting a new one instead of a second hand one that might last less time. So it worked really well for us.


Having said that we got in, got what we had planned ahead of time to get (and made sure we could afford) and got out quickly without even looking at other things. So we made it work for us rather than having marketing forces manipulating us.








I saw a woman on the news this morning that had gone to a store for a TV and when she couldn’t get one she had bought a Dyson that she didn’t even know if she wanted because she wanted to have something in her trolley. That’s the danger with events like these, that you buy something, anything, without planning ahead, because you have an emotional need not to leave empty handed because then you would have wasted your time.


Also, the store we went to, had an orderly queue outside and when the doors opened everyone walked in normally and there was no pushing or shoving/riots etc. Only the worst cases will be shown on TV tonight.

Snorkypants

Sorry for the horribly formatted post, not sure what happened there!

Butterfly_Brain

I am another who avoids these sort of events, most of the stuff is discontinued stock that they just want to shift and the discounts are not good enough for me to risk life and limb for.
Besides I have finished all of my Christmas shopping, that is everything except the fresh food

GreyQueen

I've been into a supermarket and came away with a pkt of biscuits and a pkt of sugared almonds. I've saved a fortune by not buying anything else.

I was in a crowd surge for 40 mins at a rock festival in the 1980s. Three people were crushed to deatth. Ever since, I start to freak out in crowds, you wouldn't get me in that scrum unless you paid me a lot of money because there's nothing I want that badly.

PenguinOfDeath

its crazy, most discounts today are hardly discounts at all e.g. Amazon are giving the % discount off the 'price' but they have usually sold at a cheaper price in the meantime.

The worst today was Travel Zoo "Black Friday: Bumper Christmas Gift Sale" umm, nope, just the same offers that were on last week with a different name.