Takealot Supplied
  • Bagging the best deals requires detailed planning and a military-style strategy.
  • Put the items you want in your check-out basket before Black Friday.
  • Remember to set a budget.

While Makro and Woolworths have been running with their Black Friday promotions over the past few days, most retailers will launch their deals tonight at midnight.

Selected Game and Dion Wired stores will be open at midnight, and Pick n Pay will open its doors at 06:59 tomorrow morning.

A massive online stampede is expected from midnight. To help you avoid disappointment, we asked Takealot experts for their advice. 

Here's how to get the best online deals:

Beat the rest by being online first. Be ready by 11:30pm tonight

Most online sales will start as the clock strikes twelve, so make sure you have data and your wifi isn’t past its cap. Get to bed early and set a few alarms.

When you wake up, get your pages ready and start refreshing your browser just before midnight. 

By the time the rest of the world wakes up you have done your shopping.  

Get together and form a united front – teamwork is key

WhatsApp groups are the way to go. Get your friends and family together early. Everyone should build a wish list and share it. Whoever gets online first already has a list of what everyone wants so they buy for everyone. 

Having shopping buddies means you can be dedicated to one site, while your comrades focus on other sites at the same time. This means you will have more chances of getting the deals than on one site. 

If you feel like online groups will take too long, you could camp out at one person’s house and strategise with laptops and dongles. Communication about latest developments will be a breeze. 

The key to victory is planning - put the items you want in your check-out basket before Black Friday. You can then checkout ASAP on the day

Add the items you want to buy to your basket ahead of Black Friday. If some of the items are included in the Black Friday discounts, the prices will be marked down and you can immediately proceed to pay for them.

Klyne Maharaj, head of brand at Superbalist.com, said another battle strategy for the big day would be to list the items in order of preference, so you can check out the items you really, really want first, and then return to the rest. You won't have to go through your long list.

You can also:

  • Load gift vouchers ahead of time so you can check out quickly.
  • If you are buying a TV, you’ll need an up-to-date TV licence account number at hand for the transaction to go through.
  • If you plan to buy a big ticket item such as a TV, or fridge and need credit to do this, apply for credit ahead of time as there is a waiting period before approval. 

Make sure details are up-to-date

Ensure your credit card details and your delivery address are correct before you buy. You won’t want to be messing around updating details, as everyone is beating you to the punch in checkout. 

Apps will send you push notifications on deals and they’re faster than your browser

This will allow you to browse much faster. Plus some retailers offer app-only deals. 

Check in advance if you can return your purchases

Most outlets, both online and physical, will accept returns for Black Friday purchases, but this is not a guarantee. It is worth checking terms and conditions in advance to make sure that any purchases made "in the moment" can be returned. 

Set a budget – beforehand.

Most importantly: Be clear about what you are willing to spend before

Before splurging, remember to distinguish between needs and wants.

Be responsible and remember that the expensive festive season and back-to-school January expenses are coming up. 

Business Insider SA is part of 24.com, a subsidiary of Media24, which owns stakes in Takealot and Superbalist. 

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