Survive the Black Friday sale frenzy

By Bahle Gama

November 29, 2024, marks the official day of Black Friday globally, and the excitement of this day can lead to impulse buying, especially when faced with limited time offers that marketers promote heavily.

It is easy to be swept up in the frenzy, and to help consumers avoid this trap the Eswatini Financial Times conducted several interviews to come up with strategies on what consumers should look out for and survive.

Eswatini Consumer Forum Chairperson Mandla Ntshakala advised consumers to always have a budget and stick to it.

“This means a person needs to plan their purchase carefully and further create a shopping list ahead of time to help them stay focused,” he said.
According to research by the forum, consumers should look out for more misleading sales than real discounts.

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He said consumers should not be wowed by the huge display of prices because oftentimes they are the original worth of the product.

“A few weeks before the official day, they will advertise very expensive prices only to reduce to the original price and make it seem like it is a hot sale. Consumers must be very careful. The economic state does not allow for impulse buying,” he warned.

This was reiterated by a salesperson in one of the furniture shops around Mbabane who opted to comment anonymously.

The salesperson advised that the bigger the discount, the more vigilant a person should be.

“If a consumer sees a 50 per cent or 40 per cent discount, they need to understand that it is a fake promotion. As a shop we are manipulating the reference price to fool people into thinking they are buying at the best-selling price with a gigantic promotion,” the salesperson said.

Retailers may increase the reference price before Black Friday.

According to the salesperson, another deceptive practice used by retailers to make consumers think they are getting a good deal is to display the highest comparison price of its competitors or the manufacturer’s suggested retail price rather than the original price.

“Reference prices you never actually find in shops,” they said.

The salesperson further advised that the devil is in the details because it is impossible for consumers to tell the difference when there is a crossed-out price, and then a percentage in both cases.

“A higher reference price, a bigger discount, and a higher incentive for people to shop. But these reference prices may have never been used before Black Friday,” he added.

The reality is that on Black Friday, the prices are reportedly not significantly lower than those of the week before and the week after, and in the vast majority of cases, retailers use a flattering comparison price for their selling price.

“All prices are affected by deceptive practices,” said the salesperson.

To avoid the sale trap on Black Friday, consumers can:

Consider in-store shopping: If you’re worried about spending too much online, you can shop in-store instead

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Set a budget: Decide how much you want to spend and stick to it. 

Make a list: Write down what you need or want to buy. 

Be skeptical: Don’t believe everything you see. Be wary of fake sales and offers that seem too good to be true. 

Research prices: Compare prices across multiple retailers. You can use comparison sites to see what other retailers are selling the item for. 

Avoid impulse buying: Don’t get caught up in the excitement and limited time offers. If you’re not sure if a deal is good, take a break and do something else. 

Limit online shopping: Limit the time you spend on online shopping sites. You can also unsubscribe from promotional emails and turn off notifications from shopping apps. 

Don’t click links: Avoid clicking links in unsolicited emails or texts. 

Bring a shopping buddy: Have a friend with you to help you stick to your plan.