Key takeaways
- Black Friday sales can offer discounts from around 5% to more than 50%
- The ACCC is conducting a sweep for misleading advertising that could influence shoppers to make a purchase, including messaging that creates a sense of urgency and ‘up to’ deals where only a few products have the highest discount
- Consider creating a list of items you want, setting a budget and reading the fine print if you’re unsure
Black Friday is the biggest sale event of the year and Australians are predicted to spend $6.8 billion this sale season. But with just about every brand under the sun offering sales, it’s not always easy to know if a deal is as good as it first seems.
Now, the government has taken notice, with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announcing an investigation into misleading sales tactics during Black Friday.
“We are putting retailers on notice to review their sales advertising practices to ensure that any sales or discount claims they make are accurate, clear, and not likely to mislead or deceive consumers,” ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Lowe said in a statement.
“Misleading advertising may influence a consumer’s behaviour and impact their ability to make an informed purchasing decision during the sales.”
ACCC Deputy Chair Catriona Low
What to know before shopping a sale
As someone who has spent more than 15 years writing about personal finance, I’m used to reading fine print. But I also know that not everyone wants (or has the time) to do that. Especially when there are literally hundreds of retailers advertising ‘Black Friday deals’.
Even I’ve had moments of getting swept up in the sales, only to spot a better deal a few months (or even weeks) later.
“Sales are designed to be a dopamine hit and to confirm for you that you’re making a good decision, because it’s on sale,” Sarah Megginson, a personal finance expert who posts about all things money on Instagram as Money Margarita, tells me.
“But the downside to that is that when you’re chasing those cheeky little dopamine hits, you can end up overspending,” she says.
“I can give you a great example that: yesterday I was looking through the sales for some specific shoes my son wants and they’re $150 everywhere, and there was one that was on sale and it was $180 on sale down to $150.
“That’s the only pair that was on sale, but the sale price is actually the same as everyone else’s original price. So it wasn’t actually a sale.”
Sarah Megginson, personal finance expert
How to tell if a deal is good value
“You’ve got to kind of take the sale price at face value and just do a little quick research to make sure that it actually does represent the best offer you can get,” Sarah says.
The ACCC shared similar advice, encouraging shoppers to “consider checking the prices now before sales start”.
But with many sales already happening, this might not be realistic. Another strategy that I use is to focus on brands or items that I already follow, because then I have a better sense of how good a deal is.
Sarah also has a similar approach.
“I’ve got a few brands, like different skincare brands and things [where] I’m getting their EDMs [emails], and they’re products I already use and I know the price point – and now they’re on sale for 40% off and I know that is a genuine discount,” she says.
“Other sales, you’ve got a really just make sure you’re checking it’s actually a genuine sale and you’ve got an intention for it,” she said.
What to look out for:
- Limited time messages that create a sense of urgency
- ‘Sitewide’ sales that have exclusions in the fine print
- Claims of ‘up to X% off’, where not many products are on sale for that amount
- Fine print or disclaimers that seek to limit headline claims about the sale, including member-only deals or excluding a range of products
- Misleading ‘was/now’ or ‘strikethrough’ pricing representations
Are Black Friday deals worth it?
Some Black Friday deals may not be worth it, as the ACCC has suggested with its action. But there are definitely deals that offer genuine value.
Over the past few years, I’ve found very valuable discounts on things I want – from household appliances and cookware to jewellery, shoes and activewear. I have a list of things I want, and just last week make a second list for Christmas presents.
“It’s a really great time to do your Christmas shopping,” says Sarah, who also does her Christmas shopping during Black Friday.
“I genuinely save a lot of money on Christmas shopping by doing the shopping during the Black Friday sales.”
Sarah Megginson, Personal finance expert
She says it helps to “be really strategic and intentional about what you’re spending and make sure you know how much you want to spend with too.”
“It can be so easy, especially these days, because online shopping has no friction in it, so it can be really easy to just add to cart, and you’ve accidentally spent $1,000 and you barely noticed it because you’re not actually in a shop.
Sarah also suggests deciding now if you actually want to shop the sales at all. That way, you can “block out all the noise”.
“Probably most of us have had the experience of – in the lead up to Black Friday and on the Black Friday weekend – getting absolutely inundated with emails and text messages and brands that you may be haven’t interacted with in 10 years, suddenly start blowing up your inbox,” she said.
“And then if you do decide, yes, I’m going to, I’m in, I want to get the best deals I can, then I think it’s worth really deciding exactly what you’re hoping to get.”
Sarah Megginson, Personal finance expert
The Australian Women’s Weekly pick of Black Friday deals
The team at The Australian Women’s Weekly spend a lot of time researching products and sales throughout the year (and over many years, in the case of some contributors). Here are some of the deals on our radar at the time of writing:
Our editors handpick everything we recommend. We may receive revenue for sharing this content or when you shop through our links. Read more here.
Dyson Gen5 Detect Complete$1599 $949
65″ The Frame Pro 4K Samsung Vision AI Smart TV$3499 $2988
Samsonite C-Lite Spinner$999 $599.40
Koala Plus Mattress – Queen$1650 $1237.50
Mermade Hair Blow Dry Brush$109 $76.30
AERE Violet Button Down Midi Dress$170 $102
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base$105 $84
Swarovski Matrix Tennis Bracelet$330 $198
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