Black Friday: How To Not Get Tricked By A ‘Good Deal’
AllOutdoor Staff 11.28.19
Black Friday is well known for having some of the best deals of the year, especially for outdoorsmen, and it’s marketed as being the perfect time to buy Christmas gifts or other items you want at the lowest possible prices.
Unfortunately, there are many supposedly great Black Friday deals that may not actually be great deals at all. While there are some legitimately great deals to be had, there are also a variety of marketing deals that companies and advertisers use to make not-so-great deals sound like amazing bargains.
If you want to learn how to not get tricked by a ‘good deal’ this Black Friday, you’ve come to the right place. Here are the top tricks to avoid falling for on Black Friday:
Advertisements Will Convince You a Price is Great When the Price History Suggests Otherwise
Advertisers will often claim a price for a particular product is great, when in reality the price history of that product clearly suggests otherwise. For example, maybe an item normally sells for $19.99, and then on Black Friday the price drops to $16.99.
You may think that’s a great deal, until you consider that maybe the price of that item was $16.99 (or even lower) a few months or a year before.
You can avoid falling into this trap by researching the price of the item you want to buy over the last year or so. It may take time to find out the information you’re looking for online, but if you truly want to avoid getting suckered into a bad deal it will be well worth it.
It Can be Difficult to Predict Future Price Movement
Even if advertisers and retailers can do a decent job of offering the lowest prices on some of their items, it may be difficult to predict what price movements will be in the future, especially as the holidays begin to approach. Often times, the prices of items will continue to fall as Christmas and New Year’s approach, because retailers want to get rid of their inventory before the start of the new year.
This is only true for some items and not for others, so it can be difficult to predict which items will continue to have falling prices after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so it’s maybe a ‘trick’ that can’t be avoided. Nonetheless, it still would be helpful to know that just because you’re buying an item for a low price on Black Friday doesn’t mean the price won’t be even lower in the upcoming days or weeks.
Advertisers Like to Encourage Impulse Buying Decisions
This is a classic advertising trick, and it’s used extensively during Black Friday and Cyber Monday every year. Advertisers know it’s very easy to make impulsive buying decisions over the holidays.
Be on the lookout for phrases like “buy now while supplies last” or “buy now before prices go up.”
Keep in mind that if the price of an item you may want (but don’t need) is $50 and it’s now on sale for $15, you’re not saving money. Buying an item you don’t technically need means you’re losing money. But by creating a sense of urgency in their marketing, retailers can encourage you to buy it anyway and convince you that you are indeed saving money.
And keep in mind, as we just discussed the price of the item may continue to fall in the future anyway.
Discounted Items are Often Worth Nothing to Retailers
And the reason why the discounted items won’t be worth much to retailers is because those items are most likely already old or discontinued, so you’re not really getting a good deal anyway. If anything, the retailers want to get rid of the item, so they market it as being ‘sold at a discount’ when in reality it just isn’t.
This is a common tactic used to sell pieces of technology. Technology evolves very quickly, and in as little as two years (or less) a new phone or tablet can become obsolete. It’s often these obsolete items that are sold for several hundred dollars less and marketed as being a great deal.
The best way to avoid this trick is to research exactly what you are buying beforehand. You should especially avoid buying any items that no longer receive any degree of support from the manufacturer.
Conclusion
To conclude, some deals on Black Friday are truly great and others are not great at all. Shopping intelligently requires discipline. By being aware of the above tricks and not falling for them, you can ensure that you narrow yourself to only buying the bargains that are, well, truly a bargain.
