Black Friday’s best bargains as shopping event booms

The discounts continue after a record spending spree was set at the Black Friday sales. See where you can get a bargain. Last year, Australians spent around $2.9 billion on Black Friday sales, according to NAB. This year, sales are expected to be bigger than ever, with Australian consumers forecast to spend up to $5 billion over the four-day spendathon that ends on Cyber Monday, said Australian Retailers Association CEO Paul Zahra. “We’ve had early reports that sales were doing extremely well,” he said. “There were plenty of Australians visiting stores, shopping on their mobile phones or from their lounge rooms.” Many retailers have jumped the gun online, with retail giants eBay, Amazon and Catch offering deals across a wide selection of categories including video games, fashion, beauty, electronics, toys and books from midnight. eBay Australia spokesperson Sophie Onikul said the website’s most popular deal was the Apple AirPods for $99 — which sold out in less than four minutes. “Apple products are rarely discounted and at this price they’re an absolute steal,” she said. “Gaming items have also been hugely sought after. Ring Fit Adventure for Nintendo Switch sold out in just a few hours and the new Assassin’s Creed game was gone in six minutes.” Catch.com.au chief marketing officer Ryan Gracie said the website also saw a huge demand for Apple as well as Dyson vacuum cleaners, Bose headphones and KitchenAid stand mixers. Apple and fitness products again proved to be popular sellers at Officeworks, with customers picking up Apple iPads and tablets along with fitness trackers and headphones. Anaconda reported kayaks, paddle boards and outdoor tents have been selling at more than twice the rate than in previous years. Kmart’s top selling Black Friday products included 1200 thread count cotton sheet sets, gaming chairs, Pokemon trading cards and Bluey hooded towels. “We experienced an increase in sales for products compared to last year and a significant increase in traffic and users to the website,” Kmart’s general manager of general merchandise, Callum Smith, said. Meanwhile, gaming consoles, televisions and airfryers led the way as the most popular items at Big W. Myer chief customer officer Geoff Ikin said consumers have been stocking up on electrical products including coffee machines, soda streams, air fryers and Dyson vacuums. Beauty and homewares continue to be strong performers, with skincare, fragrances, quilt covers, sheets and pillows trading strongly. Mr Ikin said Black Friday had proved to be “the key pre-Christmas sale event”. “We are seeing more customers utilising it as the perfect time to purchase what they need for Christmas,” he said. Harvey Norman executive chairman Gerry Harvey said there would be more retailers running out of certain stock items as many factories and suppliers could not keep up with surging demand. “If it was me, anything I had in mind I wanted for Christmas, this year I’d be looking a bit earlier than I would any other year because of the supply situation,” Mr Harvey said. “You’ll go in on the 14th of December and you’ll get a lot of ‘I haven’t got that, I haven’t got that, I haven’t got that’. And there will be a lot of shops that you’ll walk into and you’ll say ‘but your shelves are half-empty’. It’s been that big a boom.” Mr Harvey said online purchases were also booming, and people who waited until two or three weeks before Christmas were “taking a big risk because they mightn’t get it.” “It’s not just us – everyone out there is going to have certain stock lines they just can’t get,” he said. WHERE TO GET MORE BLACK FRIDAY BARGAINS Black Friday bargains are everywhere in the huge shopping long weekend beginning today. Half-price deals are headlining many retailers’ offers, both online and instore. Black Friday started in Australia in 2012 – following a US tradition that marks the first big-spending day after Thanksgiving – and has quickly built a reputation as the best time for pre-Christmas shopping. Many retailers have lengthened their Black Friday sales period this year to reduce crowding and keep COVID-safe, and David Jones chief executive officer Scott Fyfe said its “event of the year” sale started on Wednesday and would continue until Monday with new offers released daily. “This year, we are seeing early momentum in homeware, gifting, fashion and skincare in the lead up to Christmas,” Mr Fyfe said. Westfield shopping mall owner Scentre Group’s general manager of centre experience, Lillian Fadel, said every year more shoppers used the Black Friday sales to get Christmas shopping done early. “With extended trading hours across Black Friday and hundreds of retailers continuing their sales over the weekend, customers have the flexibility to safely visit at a time that suits them with sales,” she said. Some online retailers require customers to enter codes to get discounts. For example, Ebay.com.au says it has 20 per cent off “millions of items” on Friday for members using the “PLUSBF20” code. Email inboxes and social media feeds across Australia have been filled with Black Friday specials this week, and below are some of the best. TOYS From 12am Friday Amazon.com.au has big discounts on a range of toys, particularly with a science focus such as chemistry and volcanoes. Big W is halving the price of a Cat Steel Dump Truck, from $59 to $29.50, while David Jones has 25 per cent of toys including Razor Scooters, Barbie Dreamhouse play sets and other Barbie toys, and the Mousetrap Classic game. From Saturday, ALDI has a range of half-price toys on sale including Monopoly Fortnite for $14.99 and Rubik’s Cage for $14.99. TECHNOLOGY JB Hi-Fi shoppers can save up to 50 per cent on phones, smart watches, robot vacuums, headphones and more. The PlayStation store has up to 70 per cent off essential PlayStation games, while Microsoft.com’s online store is offering up to 30 per cent off PCs and 40 per cent off headphones. Harvey Norman is rolling out a range of tech specials at different times up until December 3 and has deals for mobile phones and tablets, computers, gaming machines and audio brands. On Friday these include saving up to $900 off Samsung mobile phones, more than $300 off Apple Mac computers and half-priced smart watches. HEALTH AND BEAUTY The Body Shop is offering up to 60 per cent off selected favourites, while Sephora has 20 per cent off everything if you spend more than $120 or 15 per cent off with no minimum spend. For Friday only Myer has 30 per cent off Givenchy fragrances, skincare and makeup, and 20 per cent off other fragrances including Lancome, Estee Lauder and Hugo Boss. Priceline has 50 per cent off makeup, selected skincare and haircare, while Mecca has savings up to 34 per cent. L’Occitane has discounted exclusive gift packs and two-for-one deals. Strawberrynet.com has 15 per cent off sitewide and adorebeauty.com.au has up to 40 per cent off. HOME At Big W it’s better than half price for pillows, with 55 per cent off a selected Tontine range. The retailer is also halving the price of a Circulon six-piece knife block set, from $199.95 to $99.50. Circulon is discounted deeply at Myer too, with 70 per cent off the original price of a Circulon Style Hard Anodised Frypan triple pack. Its price drops from $290.95 to $109. Kmart is taking a different approach to the sales. Instead of discounting existing items it’s introducing new products never seen instore before, including a portable blender for $15 and a cocoon chair for $199. Sheridan has 40 per cent off storewide, while Dusk has 30 per cent off selected Christmas items. Bed Bath N’ Table has 20 per cent off full-priced items and some clearance deals of up to 70 per cent off, and stationery giant kikki.K has 30 per cent off storewide. Kogan.com has 20 per cent off top appliances for customers who use the “APPBACK” code at its checkout, and up to 80 per cent of recommended retail prices for home and garden products. The Good Guys has offers including 27 per cent off a Haier 7kg front load washer and 24 per cent off a Dyson Tower Fan, from $798 to $599. Harvey Norman has a 65-inch 4K Hisense TV for $895, down from $1395. CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES Catch.com.au says Black Friday is its “biggest sale ever” with up to 50 per cent off a range of shoes, clothes and bags. Amazon.com.au has up to 50 per cent off selected items from brands such as Lacoste, Puma and Hawaiian Tropic. City Chic and Cue have up to 50 per cent off on selected styles, Dotti and Kathmandu have up to 40 per cent off and Cotton on Body has 30 per cent off everything. Myer is offering 40 per cent off men’s suits, business shirts, blazers, trousers and ties from the men’s formals department, and up to 50 per cent off selected sunglasses by Sunglass Hut. Mimco has 20 per cent off its full-price collection, Laubman and Pank has 20 per cent off storewide and Michael Hill has up to 50 per cent off silver, 30 per cent off diamonds and 24 per cent off gold. Both Country Road and Oroton have 20 per cent off everything, Ted Baker has 30 per cent off everything, and 2XU has 30 per cent off almost everything. LEISURE Heading to the great outdoors? Macpac is selling half-price cooler armchairs for $49.99 and has reduced a Coleman Northstar 10-person tent by $430 to $749.99. Event Cinemas is offering four Gold Class eVouchers for $100, which is a 40 per cent discount on the full price. From Friday to Monday Zone Bowling is offering up to 20 per cent off gift cards, redeemable at Zone Bowling, Timezone or Kingpin. Travel discounts are available at Expedia, which is offering up to 30 per cent off selected domestic hotels for bookings made before Tuesday for travel up to December 2021. FITNESS With exercise equipment already in demand, many retailers have stocked up on fitness essentials just in time for the pre-Christmas sales event. There’s deals aplenty at World Fitness Australia, offering 10 per cent off sitewide on bikes, treadmills and home gyms. The Good Guys has slashed the price of selected Fitbit watches from $249 to $149, which includes a built-in GPS and intuitive touchscreen so you can take your goals further. Trainer Ben Lucas, owner of Flow Athletic, said smartwatches can help you stay motivated and improve your health by tracking your activity, exercise, food, weight and sleep. “It’s also allowed me to receive texts, emails and calls,” he said. Rebel Sport is offering a buy one, get one half price deal on all men’s, women and children footwear, as well as 30 per cent off clothing brands, including Adidas and Under Armour. GIFTS FOR HER There’s something for every woman and budget, so you won’t have to settle for another less-than-stellar gift. David Jones is offering up to 50 per cent on full-priced women’s fashion, including Levi’s, Tommy Hilfiger, Gant, Nautica and Armani Exchange, and 40 per cent off lingerie from brands Calvin Klein, Bonds, Bendon and Berlei. At Myer, there’s 20 per cent off fragrances including Marc Jacobs, Hugo Boss, Balenciaga, Issey Miyake, Dolce & Gabbana and more in-store and online. When it comes to gifts for the home, Australian homewares retailer KAS is offering 40 per cent off across its site and free shipping until November 30. Head online to the Royal Doulton, Royal Albert and Wedgwood websites for 20 per cent off already reduced barware and dinnerware. Save up to 60 per cent off select premium notebooks, journals, stationery and planners at Collins Debden, and up to 40 per cent off phone cases and clutches at Maison de Sabre. GIFTS FOR HIM With grooming, fragrance and tech gadgets available, they’re a perfect all-rounder for even the fussiest of men. Grab a bargain at The Good Guys, offering 20 per cent off Dell computers and monitors, Lenovo tablets, selected HP and Acer computers and 10 per cent off Apple Mac computers. There’s 25 per cent off selected Coleman tents, 38 per cent off Echo Dot (4th Gen) and 30 per cent off RRP on PlayStation Plus: 12 Month Membership online at Amazon. For the hard-to-buy-for, JB Hi-Fi is taking 30 per cent off Blu-Ray 4k and DVDs. Keep your man sharp with 40 per cent off men’s suits, business shirts, blazers, trousers and ties when you shop in-store or online at Myer. Save 30 per cent storewide and online on Superdry, Hush Puppies, Volley and Elwood clothing and footwear. At BWS liquor stores, get 10 per cent off when you spend $100 online — the perfect gift for the beer geeks, the wine connoisseurs and the cocktail enthusiasts in your life. HOME Harvey Norman has rolled out store specials on home products like fridges, washing machines, computers, coffee machines and Dyson vacuum cleaners. At David Jones, there’s 50 per cent off a select range of appliances from Breville to De’Longhi. Myer is offering 25 per cent off KitchenAid food processors, bench blenders, toasters and kettles and 30 per cent off home decor, including cushions, throws and artificial plants. Freedom is taking 20-50 per cent off selected furniture, rugs and mattresses until November 30. HOTTEST FITNESS DEALS Trainer Ben Lucas, owner of Flow Athletic, shares his top fitness buys for Black Friday. - Loop bands is one of the most effective fitness products that won’t break the bank or take up too much space at home. It’s great for building resistance in most exercises despite how small it is. Put the band just above your knees to add resistance to squats, lunges or deadlifts. Visit worldfitness.com.au for Black Friday deals. - Ausfit torsion bars make for a great piece of equipment at home as they don’t take up much space and you can do thousands of exercises with them. - Home gyms are great for those who are looking to build up strength and who want to complete a range of full body workouts with one machine. - YBells are perfect for those who have limited space, because they are four different pieces of equipment combined into one. These can be incorporated into both strength and cardio based workouts and can be used as a kettlebell, dumbbell, double grip medicine ball and a push up stand. - Smartwatches can track everything and allow you to interact with your network. Find a bargain at jbhifi.com.au