Need to know
- The Black Friday sales in November are an increasingly popular time to grab a bargain
- Expect decent discounts, but follow our advice to avoid dangerous products and duds and get the best deal
- CHOICE has expert guidance for buying your favourite goods and in-depth reviews to compare the best models
Once a dark horse on Australia's sales calendar, Black Friday, with its companion Cyber Monday, has truly taken off and now rivals the premier discount drops of Boxing Day and the End of the Financial Year.
With the 2024 season just around the corner, we've got the latest on who will be dropping discounts and how big the bargains will be, as well as advice on how to buy your favourite products and what to avoid.
On this page:
- What is Black Friday?
- When is Black Friday?
- Is Black Friday big in Australia?
- How good are the discounts and are they worth waiting for?
- Where can I get a bargain?
- Tips for bagging a bargain on Black Friday
- What to avoid on Black Friday
- Your consumer rights on Black Friday
What is Black Friday?
Black Friday is the high point of a sales period in late November when many major retailers have significant discounts on their products, both online and instore.
These sales often run for several days in the lead up to Black Friday itself and then continue over the following weekend.
Most then finish up on the following Monday, known as "Cyber Monday" due to its traditional association with online-only discounts.
The Black Friday sales originated in the US, but have become increasingly common in Australia over recent years and are often seen as marking the beginning of the Christmas shopping season.
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday falls on the last Friday in November. In 2024, that will be November 29, while Cyber Monday will be December 2.
But many retailers will likely start dropping prices before Black Friday and some may even keep discounts in place beyond Cyber Monday.
Last year, we saw 'Black Friday' sales from major brands starting as early as 14 November, 10 days before Black Friday itself.
Most of last year's sales finished up on Cyber Monday, but we did see some outlets keeping prices low into early December.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has observed Black Friday promotions are starting earlier and ending later then previously, so it's likely we'll see the sales last just as long, if not longer, this year.
Is Black Friday big in Australia?
More and more Aussie shoppers are taking part in Black Friday, with the event rivalling the lead up to Christmas as our biggest shopping occasion.
Last year, it overtook the festive season, with retail spending higher in November than December, according to the ABS, which noted Australians are bringing forward Christmas spending to splurge on Black Friday.
All up, we bought $8.7 billion worth of goods over the four days from Black Friday to Cyber Monday last year, according to NAB transaction data. That's up from $7.1 billion in 2022.
With Black Friday only getting more popular in Australia, it's likely we'll see another big spend this year.
Black Friday has become a major sales event in Australia, recently overtaking the December shopping season.
How good are the discounts and are they worth waiting for?
While many Australians are keen to take advantage of Black Friday, they're also sceptical of whether the discounts are any better than those at other sales periods.
In our June 2023 Consumer Pulse survey*, only 26% of respondents said they thought Black Friday offered better deals than the Boxing Day or End of Financial Year sales.
While we haven't seen this year's offers yet, most Black Friday discounts from popular brands in 2023 ranged from 20–50%, depending on the product. Keen sales watchers would've spotted a few rare bigger deductions.
While these are nothing to be sniffed at, CHOICE is seeing retailers have more sales throughout the year and the discounts on offer often rival most of those we see on Black Friday.
Therefore, it's a good idea to follow your favourite brands on social media and sign up to their email newsletters, so you can catch and compare offers as they come through.
Where can I get a bargain?
Several major retailers including David Jones, Myer, JB Hi Fi, Ikea and Amazon have already confirmed they're having Black Friday sales this year.
Previous Black Fridays have seen a broad range of offers from outlets big and small, and with the event becoming more popular in Australia, you can expect lots of retailers to join the action this year.
Black Friday deals are available at physical stores and online, but some may be exclusive to a brand's website.
Black Friday deals will be available in many physical stores, but some may be online-only.
Tips for bagging a bargain on Black Friday
We've got advice for securing a quality bargain on products from all of the most popular Black Friday categories.
Clothes and shoes
Expect discounts on clothes and shoes, but keep an eye out for bargains at other times of year.
Around a third (32%) of Australians said they were interested in picking up clothes or shoes on Black Friday in last year's survey.
CHOICE follows sales closely and our buyers are always seeing where the best deals are to be had on a wide variety of goods.
For clothes and shoes, Buyer Narelle Cornelius advises looking beyond the appealing price reductions and being realistic about what's on sale (which can be limited) and whether it suits you.
"They usually have limited stock, colour and size options," she says. "Retailers are hoping the promise of big discounts gets people in, caught up in a frenzy and starting to buy things they don't want or need."
She says because many clothing retailers are offering deals at almost every turn, it pays to keep an eye on bargains at other times. Some other sales may offer more savings than Black Friday, or they might include discounts on the items you're actually after.
"With sales happening all year round, people would be better off keeping a close eye on their favourite stores and websites for sales," she suggests.
She also recommends using the 'Wishlist' function offered on many major retailers' sites. Adding your favourite products to one of these can help you catch when they've been discounted in a flash sale.
Kitchen appliances
Small kitchen appliances are another popular Black Friday buy, with 21% of our survey respondents last year saying they were considering grabbing one at sales time.
We're always testing the most popular kitchen devices and have plenty of tips to share on how to grab a good appliance during the sales.
If you're looking to get on the air fryer bandwagon, make sure you've got enough space in your kitchen and look for a model with a viewing window and internal light to save you from repeatedly having to open it during cooking. For more, see our guide to buying a great air fryer and our latest air fryer reviews.
Keen for a coffee machine? See which type (manual, automatic or pod) will suit you with our coffee machine guide.
No matter what configuration you're after, it pays to keep an eye out for machines with clear and simple controls and to get info on the warm-up time, which can vary by machine. For more, see our home espresso coffee machine reviews.
If you want to mix things up with a new blender, know there are multiple types available and a cheaper, simpler option such as a stick blender might be all you need. Save yourself from overkill by checking out our blender buying guide.
For other popular kitchen appliance buys, make sure you're not settling for second best by checking out our reviews of toasters, kettles, microwaves and more.
Home technology
A decent number of respondents to our 2023 Black Friday survey were on the lookout for phones (16%) and TVs (15%) during the sales.
If you're hunting for a smartphone, we recommend confirming with the retailer that any phone you're considering supports all the available 4G and 5G bands for your network and local area.
Battery life and camera quality are also vital metrics that vary between phone models and you're going to want to make sure whatever you're buying meets your standards. See how popular models compare with our latest smartphone review.
CHOICE tip: If you're presented with the opportunity to buy an older 4G-enabled phone, be careful. While they won't feature in Black Friday deals, some old handsets currently circulating in Australia are losing triple zero access with the shutdown of 3G across the country.
Tech items such as TVs are a popular buy on Black Friday. Follow our tips to get a good deal.
Got your eye on a new TV? We recommend making sure the screen size matches the space where you plan to put it. Sitting too close to a big TV means you'll start seeing the pixels (dots) that make up the screen.
Also, make sure you can connect any devices you're planning to use with it (most new TVs only have HDMI ports) and check the unit's model number – this will tell you what year it was made and can help you identify the latest model or drive a hard bargain on something older.
See our guide to getting a bargain TV for more on how to do this and our guide to buying a great TV for more useful information.
Get our verdict on all the other hottest tech items with our headphone, wireless speaker, soundbar and laptop reviews.
What to avoid on Black Friday
As with any sales rush, Black Friday has its fair share of consumer pitfalls ready to entrap shoppers racing for a bargain.
Scam websites
Scammers use sales to lure victims to fake copies of popular retailer sites.
CHOICE is always keeping an eye on the latest scam trends and one of the biggest threats we consistently see in the retail space is phishing websites impersonating major brands.
Fraudsters regularly set these up and pass them off as the official pages of popular retailers. Recent targets have included Rip Curl, Witchery and Kathmandu.
Shoppers making orders through these sites are usually left waiting for products that never arrive or find their purchases are poor-quality knock-offs.
To make matters worse, CHOICE has seen scammers being allowed to promote these criminal sites through ads on social media and search engines.
Signs you could be looking at a scam shopping site include big discounts on almost all advertised items and an unusual URL for a page that's claiming to be a well-established brand.
Get more tips with our 6 ways to spot a scam shopping site. If you think you've provided money or personal information to a scammer, see our guide to what to do if you've been scammed.
Extended warranties
When buying a new, expensive product, the retailer might offer you extra protection that goes beyond the manufacturer's warranty.
These extended warranties (sometimes also called 'protection' or 'product care' plans) come at a cost, but most of them aren't worth it.
We've found most carry the same or weaker protections as your existing consumer guarantee rights.
Most extended warranties sell you rights you already have under the Australian Consumer Law.
These rights are given to you under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and decree that expensive products should last a reasonable amount of time, such as a few years.
If staff are trying to upsell you an extended warranty – something former retail workers have told us they were directed to do – ask what rights it will give you beyond your ACL rights.
Finally, pay close attention at the checkout: we've seen retailers adding these products to your total purchase both instore and online without making it obvious.
Dangerous goods
We found a dangerous hair dryer for sale on global retailer Temu.
Black Friday's global status can make it a great opportunity to score an online bargain from an overseas retailer, but be aware that doing so could land you with a product that could be a risk to you and your loved ones.
Children's and babies' toys and baby safety items are just some products we believe you should think twice about before buying from overseas.
These items have often been known to not meet Australian safety standards or may even be the subject of a targeted recall here.
Electrical appliances are also worth being careful of. This year, we found a hair dryer that poses an electrocution risk being sold on global outlet Temu.
That's not to say everything you buy in Australia is safe – only certain high-risk products, such as aquatic toys, bicycles and some baby products, are subject to mandatory safety standards.
See how you can protect yourself with our guide to avoiding unsafe products. Check if an item you're considering is the subject of a recall by searching for it on Product Safety Australia.
Dud products
CHOICE has been testing and assessing products and services for over 60 years, never afraid to name a poor-performer when we see one.
Every November, we call out the year's worst in our Shonky Awards. Our 2024 list will be a roll call of goods and services you'll definitely want to avoid come Black Friday, so follow us on Facebook and Instagram to catch it when it drops.
In the meantime, check out our list of the worst products we've tested so far this year and stay across our regular rundowns of products to avoid to stay up to date on what you shouldn't be buying.
Your consumer rights on Black Friday
In Australia, you're protected under the ACL, whether you've bought a product in a bricks-and-mortar store or online.
Companies that sell to Australia need to adhere to the ACL as well, but while that's the case in theory, in practice you might find it difficult to get a satisfactory resolution if you have problems with a faulty product.
Retailers need to provide a remedy (refund, replacement or repair) for a faulty product, but they're not obliged to give you a refund or exchange if you just change your mind or find that something doesn't fit.
So, if you're stocking up on Christmas gifts and aren't sure whether your mum will love that vacuum cleaner, check the store's returns policy before you buy.
Find out more about what you're entitled to with our guide to using your consumer guarantees.
*CHOICE Consumer Pulse June 2023 is based on a survey of 1,087 Australian households. Quotas were applied for representations in each age group as well as genders and location to ensure coverage in each state and territory across metropolitan and regional areas. Fieldwork was conducted from 7th to 22nd of June 2023.
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
