As usual, this year’s Black Friday will fall on the last Friday of November. Of course, deals will begin days earlier to build up to the shopping event and, naturally, to attract customers. However, the main event, as they say in the United States – where Black Friday originated in the 1960s – meaning the Friday of discounts, will take place on November 28th. So while Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving with shopping, in Greece we’ll be less than a month away from Christmas.
With 50 days until Black Friday, the Consumer Institute has issued a list of guidelines. It outlines all the traps that consumers might encounter and highlights ways to identify whether a discount is genuine.
Black Friday: INCA’s consumer tips
* Set your budget in advance. It’s obvious that during Black Friday there will be plenty of offers and it will be easy to get carried away. Determine beforehand what you need and the maximum amount you want to spend, keeping your financial capabilities in mind.
* Conduct market research. Identify products that might interest you in advance and note their prices, so you can more easily get a realistic picture of the discount amounts that will be announced.
* Don’t buy a product simply because it’s on sale. Study the characteristics of the product you’re interested in to ensure it meets your needs and requirements. Look for reviews about the product’s quality. Evaluate the final price, not the discount.
* Make use of the internet. Use the internet not only for making purchases, but also to find alternative products, reviews for the product you’re interested in, as well as the selling price of the product from other suppliers.
* Learn about the store’s return policy before making a purchase. Remember that according to European legislation, for in-store purchases there is no legal obligation and it depends on each store’s policy whether they will accept returns or exchanges. This doesn’t apply to online purchases, where consumers have the right to withdraw after receiving the product within 14 days. You can cancel your order for any reason within this timeframe – even if you simply changed your mind.
* The minimum legal warranty of 2 years when buying new products, whether from a store or online, is provided by law at no additional cost.
* If the product you purchased proves to be defective or doesn’t match its advertised specifications, you’re entitled to free repair or replacement of the goods and, if that’s not possible, a reduction in the value of the goods or withdrawal from the contract.
* The seller/merchant must inform you about the main characteristics of the product/service, the total price, payment and delivery terms, delivery deadline, contract duration, their complaint handling policy, as well as remind you of the existence of legal warranty.
* Be careful with online purchases. When visiting an online store’s website, before making a purchase we must first check as consumers whether the business discloses a) its complete details (company name, headquarters, tax information, contact details, etc.), which we should cross-check where possible, b) the rules for product delivery and returns, mainly regarding the buyer’s right of withdrawal (withdrawal deadline and terms – product return conditions and in what state), c) finally, the final price of the product with additional charges (e.g., taxes, shipping costs, cash on delivery fees, etc.).
