Black Friday shopping tips: how to nab the best deals and spot genuine bargains

Save NOW! Money OFF! Lowest EVER price! Black Friday is a brilliant time to pick up a bargain but given the constant stream of price cuts and promotions, it can leave shoppers feeling exhausted and pressured into purchasing stuff they don’t necessarily need. 

And while there are hundreds of retailers offering substantial discounts on popular products and best-selling items, you’ll also find some stores hiking up prices in the run up to Black Friday and shouting about exaggerated savings. Which is why it’s worth putting in a bit of research ahead of the sales season and having a shopping strategy in place to ensure you’re only taking advantage of genuine deals. 

I work for Mumsnet’s editorial team and we spend the bulk of our time researching, reviewing and writing about products that are designed to make parents’ lives easier. From air fryers to vacuum cleaners, prams to toys, we know these items and prices inside out so when it comes to sales events like Black Friday and Prime Day, we can spot a bona fida bargain a mile off. We’ll only ever publish a standalone piece about a Black Friday deal that we genuinely think offers incredible value, focusing exclusively on products from brands that Mumsnetters love. 

Related: Black Friday deals on the products Mumsnet users want

We also get early access to deals via trusted retailers which allows us to assess whether a deal is as good as they say it is ahead of time. We often write about products that we can personally vouch for and add the deals that we’ve snapped up ourselves to our popular Black Friday deals thread. 

And Mumsnet users are well versed in sniffing out Black Friday bargains with tons of threads pointing users in the direction of hot deals and calling out offers that aren’t quite as good as they seem at first glance. There's a whole world of shopping tips, tricks and hacks on our forums. 

Combining MNHQ’s editorial experience and product know-how alongside hacks from seasoned shoppers on the Mumsnet forums, we’ve put together five top tips to help you make the most of Black Friday bargain-hunting this year. Happy shopping! 

1. Use price-checking tools to see if a deal is legit 🕵️

Play deal detective by using sites like Camelcamelcamel and PriceSpy to check if an offer is as good as advertised. These sites track pricing history so that you can see if a retailer has sneakily increased the price of a product just before Black Friday, allowing them to offer a bigger discount. If pricing fluctuates throughout the year, it’s likely you’ll see savings come round again so it might not be worth pouncing on the deal for Black Friday (unless it’s something you need to purchase right now or ahead of Christmas of course). It can be satisfying to uncover a product that has dropped to its lowest ever price. 

Note that Camelcamelcamel tracks pricing on Amazon products while PriceSpy covers other retailers too. 

-Mumsnet user, dankfarrik

2. Make a shopping list ahead of time and stick to it 📋 

It’s incredibly easy to get caught up in the buzz of Black Friday and buy things on a whim. And while you can always justify a purchase if there’s a saving attached, buying stuff you don’t really need is a false economy.

It’s well worth making a list (or setting up a wishlist on sites like Amazon and John Lewis) ahead of time so that you can really hone in on the products that you want or need, particularly when it comes to pricier items like appliances and tech. It will also give you an idea of what those products usually sell for. Sure, leave some wiggle room for cheaper items that might make good Christmas pressies but it’s easy to get distracted and overspend if you don’t have a shopping list for guidance. 

3. Always check prices with other retailers before buying ✅

If a product is on your list and you’ve checked the pricing history to verify that the deal is as good as first thought, it’s well worth taking an extra step to see how it stacks up in the market in case you can nab an additional discount elsewhere. A quick Google search or using a tool like Pricechecker will allow you to see what other retailers are selling the item for. 

Retailers like John Lewis, AO and Halfords offer a price match promise, even over the Black Friday period, so if you have a personal preference, are part of a loyalty scheme or have your details saved with a particular shop, it could be worth making contact to see if they can offer you the same discounted price. 

4. Search for discount codes or sign up to newsletters for extra savings and/or free delivery 💰

As with checking competitor sites, it’s always worth searching for a discount code to see if you can score an even bigger saving or cash in on free delivery.

And look out for site promotions that offer free delivery or extra savings in exchange for registering your details or signing up to a newsletter (you can always cancel communications further down the line).  

5. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is 🙄

A 90% discount may sound incredible but be aware of sensationalist savings over the Black Friday period. It’s easy to get carried away by it all. 

An excessive amount of exclamation marks and an anxiety-inducing sense of urgency doesn’t indicate that a deal is worth buying. 

And it’s worth sticking to brands that you know and trust rather than splurging on a dupe with a massive discount. 

-Mumsnet user, 5thCommandment

When is Black Friday 2025?

For 2025, Black Friday falls on 28 November, with deals typically running until Cyber Monday (1 December). However, many retailers in the UK now often start their sales a few days or even weeks before the official date so you can expect to see price drops and promotions announced throughout November. 

About the author 

Rachel Erdos is an Editor at Mumsnet where she commissions, edits and writes content with a focus on family travel, product reviews and homeware roundups.

She’s written buyer’s guides for publications including Expert Reviews and Coach as well as reviews and features for the Guardian, TripSavvy and Visit London.

A mum of two, she’s always on the lookout for products that make life easier at home as well as uncovering genuine deals for families to help lighten the load.