Best Black Friday supermarket bargains including Aldi’s £200 50-inch TV
IT’S not just the big name retailers and department stores that get in on the Black Friday action.
Most supermarkets now offer staggering savings on festive essentials – but you’ll have work the aisles in a different way to your usual weekly shop.
Here are the tips and tricks to get started.
Start Shopping Now: Black Friday might be a week away but many supermarkets being running promotions the week before. Lidl’s weekly offers are live now with Black Friday deals expected to drop on Monday 25 November.
Aldi has offers on a limited number of products including a £12 dash cam and £200 50-inch TV, while Tesco is offering the Joie Roomie Glide Co-Sleeping Crib for £50, down from £160.
Go Big: Is your local supermarket on the small side? Then consider travelling to the nearest retail park or supersized store.
The bigger the store, the higher the stock levels so the more likely you’ll be to bag the very best bargains.
Be an Early Bird: Check the store opening hours as they may differ to normal. Some stores will open extra early while others even offer 24-hour trading.
There will be limited stock on the items with the deepest discounts, so get there as early as you can to increase your chances.
Before You Begin: Buy one small item like a pint of milk or a bottle of water and scan your loyalty card or app when you pay.
This will tell the supermarket’s data system than you’re in the store and may trigger it to offer extra discount coupons or offers, which you can then use on your main shop.
Spend Points: Saved up points on your supermarket loyalty card? Check your balance and see if you can use it to buy what you need.
Or Save Them Up: Alternatively, clock up extra points on your Black Friday shopping which you can then use in December for your festive fresh food shop.
Most stores won’t offer extra points over the Black Friday weekend so you can keep them for double-up days in December.
Target your big buys: Black Friday sees supermarkets sell scores of big-ticket items they wouldn’t normally offer, such as super-sized TVs, air fryers, branded toys, washing machines or vacuum cleaners.
Follow your favourite supermarkets on social media and keep an eye on the Sun this week too as we’ll bring you all the best offers.
Once you’ve spotted what you want, get to the store and head straight to the relevant aisle. Buy this item before anything else so you’ve got it secured at the right price.
Buy the Xmas Basics: The mega-deals may grab the headlines but Black Friday is brilliant for securing all your everyday festive basics too.
Snap up 3-for-2 discounts on Christmas cards, wrapping paper, sticky tape and Xmas decorations. Other offers include up to 60 per cent off artificial Christmas trees and festive lights.
Freeze Your Spending: This week, have an ‘eat-up week’ to clear out space in your freezer.
You’ll save money and you can use the cash to buy festive food bargains. Items which are usually reduced over the Black Friday weekend include premium ice cream, frozen turkeys and frozen party food.
Boozy Bargains: Get into the festive spirit with some serious savings on Christmas drinks. Over the Black Friday weekend, supermarkets typically offer up to a third off selected premium champagne and spirits, plus bumper deals on slabs of beer.
Don’t drink? Don’t worry, there will be offers on low-alcohol drinks and fizzy pop too. Iceland is already offering five x 24-crates of 330ml fizzy drinks for just £40. That’s just 33p per can.
Festive Food: Nothing gets us in the mood for Xmas like a display of mouth-watering festive food.
From mince pies to nuts to crisps to Christmas puddings, the Black Friday weekend is a chance to get your festive store cupboard sorted, all at knockdown prices. But before you by, check the use-by date so you know it will keep long enough.
Cut out and keep your coupons: Most supermarkets offer a printed magazine, either at the checkout on in display baskets at the store entrance. This week, grab a copy and clip out the coupons to use on your Black Friday shop.
Deliver Yourself a Delivery Deal: Love online supermarket shopping? Black Friday is the best time to bag a bargain on stores’ delivery passes.
These handy deals can cut hundreds of pounds off the cost of online shopping delivery throughout the year.
Ocado has a raft of offers including free Christmas Delivery if you sign up for a Smart Pass by 30 November, while Morrisons is giving away a £25 voucher when you buy an Anytime Annual Delivery Pass worth £70.
FIVE BUYS TO SAVE CASH ALL YEAR LONG
Coffee maker
ON average, we spend £530 a year on takeaway coffees, typically drinking three per week.
INSTANT SAVE: £41
Nespresso by Magimix Vertuo Pop Pod coffee machine is just £59 at Argos, down from a recommended retail price of £100.
ANNUAL SAVE: £393
Taking away the £59 cost of the coffee machine and £78 on coffee pods, you’ll still see a big saving.
Heated blanket
HEAT yourself, not the whole room. A cosy electric blanket looks stylish and means you can keep central heating costs down.
INSTANT SAVE: £20
Silvercrest Personal Care Cosy electric blanket is £32.99 at Lidl. That’s £20 less than similar items elsewhere.
ANNUAL SAVE: Up to £300 on heating bills, depending on how often you use it.
Soup maker
FOOD price inflation means shop-bought fresh soups have hit £3 in the past year. Whip up your own using leftovers to reduce food waste, too.
INSTANT SAVE: £13
Daewoo 1.6L 1,000W soup maker, was £49.99 now £36.99 at freemans.com.
ANNUAL SAVE: £275 before ingredients if you make just two soups a week in the first year. If you’re feeding a family, it may be much more.
Bread maker
WITH the average 800g loaf now costing £1.37, a breadmaker can cut costs quickly.
INSTANT SAVE: £25
Lakeland White Compact 1lb Daily Loaf Bread Maker, was £79.99 now £54.99
ANNUAL SAVE: £38 for a family of four
We each eat 60 loaves a year, costing £82.20. But a homemade loaf is 98p in ingredients and energy, or £58.80 per person per year.
Air fryer
USING an oven to cook your grub averages £300 a year, while an air fryer costs just £50 to run during the same period.
INSTANT SAVE: £15
Black air fryer GAF201RG-21, 3.2 litre, was £35 now £20, Asda.
ANNUAL SAVE: £215
Even after paying for the air fryer, you will still be much better off over the year due to the lower running cost.