Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the kings of cheap shopping and the emperors of the quick deal that began as a single day but grew into a month-spanning colossus, where technology, video games and a whole lot more gets knocked down to a price you’re willing to pay.
After Amazon Prime Day but before Father Christmas sneaks down innumerate chimneys in late December, big companies and crafty parents attempt to pip him to the post by taking part in this enormous annual sale-off.
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If you haven’t heard of it, well, you’ve probably been sequestered at the North Pole.
What are Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
‘Black Friday’ is the biggest shopping day of the year, and has long been thought of as the commencement of the Christmas shopping period in the US.
The sale, which last all weekend and heads into ‘Cyber Monday’, gives early shoppers the chance to enjoy discounts on their Christmas shopping, as retailers reduce the prices on huge amounts of their stock.
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Brits spent a staggering £1.4 billion on online sales on Black Friday 2017, up 11.7 per cent on last year, according to online retailers trade body IMRG. The £1.27 billion spent in 2017 was itself a 12 per cent increase on 2016.
When are Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
The big sale always takes place the day after Thanksgiving in the US. In 2017, ‘Black Friday’ officially fell on November 24, but 2018’s event will be on November 23, a full day earlier – although some retailers will inevitably put offers live all week as the annual shindig threatens to take over the whole month.
Check out our daily deals
The deals continue over Saturday and Sunday before ‘Cyber Monday’ comes just three days later, in 2018 on November 26, with some sales stretching across the entire four-day period before the slightly-milking-it ‘Bounce-Back Tuesday’ lands on November 27 for those who still have money in their accounts.
Which retailers are taking part in Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
Some retailers choose not to take part – booo! – but a great, great many do.
Big names that took part in 2017 are Amazon, John Lewis, Sky, Ebay, Argos, Tesco, Currys PC World, Boots, Debenhams, GAME, Firebox, ASOS, Proporta, Carphone Warehouse, M&S, Very, Toys R Us, ThinkGeek and House of Fraser.
You can grab deals in-store, especially at supermarkets and department stores, assuming you’re willing to batter your way through the legion of walkers… sorry, shoppers, in order to snag yourself one. We prefer online, in the warm, ourselves.
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Many of the retailers above are slowly starting to update their stock listings for Black Friday 2018, with companies like Amazon constantly updating their offers and deals each day – so keep your eyes peeled for a bargain.
Current live deals
While we run a special live hourly Black Friday service in November, below are the current best technology deals updated daily, from TVs to cameras.
BEST TV DEALS
BEST TV STREAMING BOX DEALS
BEST LAPTOP DEALS
BEST TABLET DEALS
BEST SMARTPHONE DEALS
BEST HEADPHONES DEALS
BEST MUSIC, SPEAKER AND SOUNDBAR DEALS
BEST SMART HOME DEALS
BEST WEARABLE AND FITNESS TRACKER DEALS
BEST CAMERA DEALS
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