There are now just eight days to go until the main event and the Black Friday sales are ramping up, with Amazon, Currys, Very, Dyson, Boots and plenty more dropping a host of early deals and discounts.
Starting on Friday 26 November and going right through to 29 November – otherwise known as Cyber Monday – the sale will see prices slashed across tech, home appliances, beauty, fashion, kids’ toys and more. The mammoth event is a prime time to save on big-ticket items such as TVs, AirPods and Nintendo Switch consoles while making a dent in your Christmas shopping lists.
And as Black Friday edges ever closer, the money saving expert Martin Lewis has unveiled his predictions for the 2021 sale, as well as tips for shoppers on how to avoid “duds” and get the best value for money.
He recently cautioned: “Go and do a price check now, so you have a benchmark to see if it is really cheaper when it is ‘discounted’”. Now, Lewis has revealed his forecasting tool, with early predictions on the retailers and reductions we should look forward to. The annual tool compares prices and start dates from the past four years in order to provide an insight into this year’s sale.
We’ve already seen a few of the forecaster’s predictions come true, including 50 per cent off selected lines at Adidas, 20 per cent off at the Disney Store and thousands of products discounted at Currys.
But there’s still plenty of predictions we’re yet to see, including up to 70 per cent off at fashion favourite Asos. Last year, every single item on the site was discounted and so far this year, the retailer has launched its Black Friday “warm-up” with an extra 20 per cent off sale items. Shop our top picks in our Black Friday fashion guide.
Lewis’s forecaster is also predicting the reintroduction of Apple gift cards with each purchase this year. In 2020, shoppers were offered these up to a value of £120 with the purchase of MacBook computers, iPads, iPhones, Air{ods and Apple Watches between Black Friday itself and Cyber Monday. In 2019, the tech giant offered £160 and Lewis highlights that if this downward trend continues, we could expect less than £120 to be offered this year. You can find all the best early deals in our Apple Black Friday round-up.
We’re also yet to see any Black Friday action from Argos this year, but the Money Saving Expert tool predicts up to 50 per cent off thousands of items, much the same as in 2020. Discounts last year included Amazon Echo dots and PS4 games with some products at Argos’s lowest-ever price. Make sure to bookmark our Argos Black Friday guide for the latest updates.
While Dyson has already dropped a few early deals on its cordless vacuums – including £100 off its V11 model (was £599, now £499, Dyson.co.uk) – Lewis is forecasting up to 33 per cent off during the main event. You can shop all the best Dyson deals as they drop in our Black Friday guide.
John Lewis & Partners is always a big contender during Black Friday, but early confirmation of its involvement in the sale is quite rare. This year, Lewis is predicting the retailer will price-match hundreds of items. In 2020, the department store offered discounts of up to 50 per cent on its lines, while its “Never Knowingly Undersold” promise means it may seek to match other high street retailers during the sale. Make sure to check back to our dedicated guide for the latest updates.
For the fitness fanatics, Lewis is forecasting 25 per cent off at Nike on most items with a code, including those already reduced. The sale last year included 25 per cent off on selected lines, but Lewis says it might even be more as Nike offered 30 per cent off its sale earlier this year. You can shop all the best sports Black Friday deals in our round-up.
