To not understand shopping

[PersonaNonGarter]

Shopping is so confusing at the moment - when sales are on, when seasons start and finish, when things are actually properly down in price, etc. Can anyone in retail explain what’s going on and what the best time to part with my cash is?

All November I have been spammed by ‘Black Friday Month’ offers. Has this replaced January sales? Is it better to wait and buy in January or to buy now?

And if everything is going in Black Friday sales, does new stock come in before Christmas and then get sold in January?

Nobody can accurately answer this because all businesses are different.

Black Friday sales have been around years; they haven’t replaced anything.

All you need to do is keep an eye out for what you want and see if you think that price is worth paying.

It feels like November replaced January?

Well it didn't.

There are also January sales. Black Friday tended to be more tech but now most retailers join in.

You've missed prime day which is another to look out for.

It depends what you want to buy as to when you should shop for the best deal

The real answer is to not be dragged into spending by Black Friday or January sales. Only buy what you had planned to buy or really need and when no one is going out, what do we need? The only item on my list is a bread maker!

I agree with mdh2020, Black Friday (it's been in the UK for a few years but it was originally a US thing - it's basically a boxing day sale but the day after Thanksgiving) and January sales are all about getting rid of the junk filling warehouses.

If you need those things, great, if not they're an absolute waste of money like everything else. Don't just part with your cash because the sales are on!

A few things I need - electrical, skincare, some clothes, a few things for round the house.

It would be interesting to know the retail patterns for those things - when those things are going to be cheapest.

So it’s not impulse spending, more just tactics.

Which magazine and a stack of retail analysts try to figure this stuff out - but it is very hard.
There are certainly no magic or simple answers.

For future reference, the Nectar double up is great for those things depending on what exactly it is you want.