Forget Black Friday…it’s all about Good Friday as retailers slash prices by up to 70 per cent
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THE high street and online is awash with discounts as retailers slash prices by up to 70 per cent.
But are the discounts really as good as Black Friday and can you trust sale prices? We take a look.
This year some high street stores have struggled to attract customers.
Earlier this week, we reported on how off-licence chain Bargain Booze is close to falling into administration.
Earlier this year, there were other high street casualties.
Toys R Us announced last month that it is closing all 106 of its UK stores.
While electrical retailer Maplin also filed for administration putting another 2,500 people out of work.
At the moment "Easter sale" signs can be found covering high street window displays, in a bid to attract customers.
There are some pretty good discounts about, with TopShop and H&M offering up to 70 per cent off.
And it's not just on the high street - Amazon and Curry's both have sales online too.
What are the best sales on right now?
Here's a round-up of what's on offer:
- Amazon is offering up to 57 per cent off with its Easter Sale - here's our best picks
- Curry’s is doing up to 52 per cent off - here's our best sale picks
- Debenhams has 30 per cent off
- Superdrug members can buy one perfume and get the 2nd full price
- Sainsbury's TV clothing is 25 per cent off - here's our best picks
- Next's up to 50 per cent sale - here's our best picks
- Marks and Spencer has 60 per cent off, including clothes and furniture
- New Look has 25 per cent off footwear
- TopShop has up to 70 per cent off
- H&M has up to 70 per cent off
- House of Fraser has up to 70 per cent off
How to make sure you're bagging a bargain
Experts warn that shoppers should be wary of sales - as the bargains may not be real.
Holly Smith, who is founder of the Extreme Couponing and Bargain Facebook said that the sales are not quite on the same scale as Black Friday and "retailers want to take advantage of any holiday these days."
She added: “Consumers need to think savvy and not rush to buy when they see a big ‘Sale’ sign on a store front or website as the percentage discount is likely to be no different than an average day”.
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Ricky Willis, founder of Skinkdad.co.uk, said: “Retailers are using any break, holiday or random day of the year to discount their stock.
"Having sales so often can make it hard to work out if you’re really getting a bargain or not when shopping.
"If you don’t need to buy anything or are short on cash then try not to get lured into cheaper prices.
"Chances are that you’ll get the same discount (or more!) again in their next sale a month later.“
Our tips for finding the best deals
IT might be tempting to dive in and snap up LOADS of items in the sales but here's how to make sure you're getting a good deal.
PREPARE Make sure that you do your research BEFORE the sale hits. Research the items you want to buy and find out the cheapest price. Websites like PriceSpy, PriceHistory and CamelCamelCamel will give you historical data on prices so you can see how much you should pay.
SAVE Add items to your online shopping basket or save the links to your bookmarks to revisit on the day.
GET FOLLOWING Follow your favourite shops on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and sign up to its deals newsletter to get the latest on any offers. We post the best deals in our Sun Money FB group too.
EARN CASHBACK Check websites like Quidco and TopCashback BEFORE you place your order. Cashback websites PAY you to shop. All you have to do is click through their links and the money is added to your online account, usually within 14 days.
PRICES SHIFT Prices and deals can change over the course of the sale - keep this in mind when shopping.
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