Black Friday or Christmas Sales: Which is better?

We are rapidly approaching that time of year when your inbox starts to fill up with endless tempting emails offering reductions on everything from air purifiers to cameras. But whether you’re shopping for gifts for the festive season, or taking advantage of great discounts for yourself, it can be hard to know exactly when to buy. After all, there’s nothing more annoying than spotting something you recently bought, only to find it’s now on sale for a massive saving.

While retailers keep their cards close to their chests when it comes to what offers they will have available during Black Friday and the Christmas sales — and even when the sales will actually start — there are certain patterns we see each year. Read on to go into the festive sales armed with the best knowledge we can provide.

When is Black Friday?

Black Friday always falls on the first Friday after Thanksgiving, which means this year’s will be on November 29, 2024. And it can certainly be hectic: Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year in the U.S., though Cyber Monday, which comes a few days later on Monday December 2, is often the day that sees the highest actual sales volume.

However, though Black Friday does traditionally refer to that day and that day alone, the Black Friday sales can now often start a lot earlier. Last year, for instance, Amazon’s Black Friday sales began in mid-November. So do keep an eye out here, as we will update all our reviews and our Black Friday hub with the latest top deals and bargains on products we have tested and reviewed.

When do the Christmas sales begin?

The Christmas sales period is less predictable than Black Friday as there is no set day for them to begin. Traditionally, they did start — as you might expect — on or just after Christmas, so you could safely wait until after the festive period to commence bargain hunting. Now, however, as retailers battle for your custom, they are creeping further and further back — or earlier and earlier in the festive period, in some cases beginning several weeks before Christmas.

Indeed, it’s increasingly hard to differentiate between Black Friday discounts that linger on after Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed, and what is a Christmas sale — they all start to merge into one, long festive discount period.

Are they always the best time of year to buy?

If something you were already planning to buy is on sale, whether it’s on Black Friday or in the Christmas sales, then grabbing it at a bargain price will obviously save you money. However, you shouldn’t necessarily believe everything you see when it comes to marketing.

As Harry Rose, editor of Which? Magazine, told us, “When looking to buy something new, always do your research first by checking price comparison sites, which not only shows current prices at multiple retailers but also reveals a product’s pricing history. This allows you to work out whether the sale price genuinely represents good value.”

Here at Live Science, we will also keep an eye on the latest and best prices on science gifts for you, tracking their prices over the previous years and highlighting when a deal isn't as genuine as it seems. So keep checking back at our Black Friday hub.

Rose also encourages you to look at previous reviews, not just the latest shiny products. “Big tech companies will do their best to tempt you into buying their latest release, whether it’s a smartphone, TV or tablet,” he explains. “But a forgotten device which has been out for 12 months could still be more than adequate and it's also far more likely to be on sale at a bargain price.”

This is certainly consistent with what we have seen when it comes to Black Friday bargains, which frequently include older tech models that brands are keen to clear out before newer items arrive to fill up the warehouses.

Do your research

While, alas, we can’t predict the exact right time to get your shopping at the very lowest price, we can certainly help you research the best science gifts, whether it’s telescopes, microscopes or a pair of binoculars.

The best way to do that is first to read our expert reviews and take the time to identify the product you really want so that you can check if the deal on offer really does represent a genuine saving, and if the item is worth the money. After all, sometimes things may be heavily discounted for a reason. So be prepared in advance, and do that research.

As Harry Rose says, “That way, you can beat the hype and be confident that you’ll emerge from the post-Christmas sales with quality products that will last for years to come — and all for a bargain price.”

It’s also a good idea to check the terms and conditions that apply to your purchases. Around the festive period, some retailers offer extended return periods to give you more time to take or send back unwanted gifts, or any items that you regret purchasing.