Black Friday occurs on Friday 25th November this year – a day when you could potentially find bargains galore online and in store, making your Christmas shopping for your friends, family, or just yourself more affordable. But are you really getting a great deal?

5 Pitfalls To Avoid On Black Friday

A ‘Real’ Discount? Most of us can be seduced by the “half-price offer”, “save up to 75%”, “Massive Black Friday Savings” – and by law these reductions must be truthful. However, retailers have been known to put prices up prior to an event to well above what you would expect to pay so that when they offer the discount it appears a bargain but is actually about the amount you would expect to pay. Double check the RRP before being seduced; is the offer really cheaper?

The Hidden Extras: Will you need to buy add-ons in the future for your bargain purchase? A good example here would be a spectacularly low-priced printer – but how about the cost of the replacement inks? When you run out of ink, will you be stung so hard by the manufacturer’s replacements that the bargain becomes a drain?

End Of Line: That laptop that is screaming “buy me – you’d be crazy not to at this price” may be discounted because it is no longer supported, or it will not be eligible for the necessary upgrades. Ensure that the machine you are looking at will be compatible with any looming updates, and has the space you will require.

Want it, Need it? “But it was 75% off!” Fantastic news, what a saving, but did you really want or need it? A bargain is only good if the product you bought is useful. When we see a really great deal, especially one “for a limited time only” we can feel pressured into buying when we don’t really have any need for it.

Still Too Much: OK, so it is a real discount, there are no hidden extras, it is the latest model, and not only do you need it, you also really, really want it! But can you also really, really afford it? A top-level laptop may be discounted by a few hundred pounds, but it could still cost over a thousand – does this still fit in with your overall budget or are you blowing everything on one deal?

Black Friday will have some great deals in stores and online, and we hope that you find a real deal if this is what you’re after.