Where does Black Friday originate?
Black Friday originated in the US; it was the day after Thanksgiving Day, which is always the fourth Thursday in November and heralded the start of the USA Christmas shopping season.
Starting in 1952, Black Friday has become a US phenomenon and since 2005 it’s been the busiest shopping day of the year in the US. With more and more American retailers operating in the UK, the Black Friday Sale was originally introduced by Amazon. In 2013, ASDA joined the bandwagon launching their Black Friday sale and since then the event has really taken off in the UK, with many retailers offering various deals and offers across many products that seem too good to miss.
You may think that Black Friday sales are purely a time for buying Christmas presents, TVs or white goods, but you’d be wrong; it’s also a great time to buy a car, new or used, with genuine Black Friday offers meaning you can bag yourself a bargain set of wheels!
Are all Black Friday offers a bargain?
Definitely not!
Though Black Friday and Cyber Monday are now worldwide phenomena, not everything is as it seems and some retailers rely upon customers getting caught up in the frenzy and the hype of the event.
There are discounts online and in-store, but some may not be what they seem. Don’t be distracted by something at an ultra-low price, which you wouldn’t normally be interested in; the chances are it may well be a ‘doorbuster’ (a Black Friday tactic, which involves offering a product at an extremely discounted price).
Hardly any of these items will be available, but the offer will get lots of people through the doors, hence the name ‘doorbuster’. It’s the retailer’s hope that when you find the product is no longer available, you’ll end up buying something else, which is probably closer to its usual price.
This practice happens a lot with TVs and other electrical appliances, so be warned! The good news is that there are plenty of genuine deals; it just takes research and a calm head to ensure that you bag one.
Remember, Black Friday isn’t restricted to just that day. Some retailers start a couple of days before and almost all include the weekend and the Monday after, referred to as Cyber Monday. Stick to what you’ve researched and the product that you want and you should come out on top.
Some retailers will also steadily increase the product’s price steadily over the weeks before Black Friday and then ‘drop’ them during the event - but in reality, you’re paying the same price as what the product should really be sold for. There’s no deal behind it really and you don’t save any money.
Do car dealers offer Black Friday deals?
Yes they do and so do we!
The run-up to Christmas can be a quiet time for car dealerships. People’s minds turn to Christmas, buying presents for their family and friends, so changing their car isn’t necessarily the most important thing in their mind; Black Friday is a way of encouraging people to buy a new or used car at a traditionally quieter time of the year.
Do make sure you do your research and stick to the cars you’ve chosen that are suitable for your lifestyle and budget - you don’t want to get carried away with the frenzy of Black Friday and find yourself buying a car that’s not right for you or your needs. Regardless of deals, offers and Black Friday, buying a car is still expensive, so you need to make sure it’s right!
However, if you’re flexible on colour and not precious about the exact trim level and accessories fitted to the car, then you’ll find cars on offer with large discounts and you really will be able to bag yourself a bargain.
Bag yourself a bargain with Black Friday at Swansway
With manufacturers like Honda taking part in the Black Friday event, there’s many cars that you can buy at bargain price - no matter what your budget or what you’re looking for, we’ll have the right car for you! Browse through our range of new and used cars to find yourself a good deal. Many of our new cars are available with offers to help spread the cost evenly over the months. If you’re unsure what you're looking for or would like more information about one of the vehicles you see on our website, don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our team and we’d be happy to help you.