Black Friday 2025: UK shoppers are skipping Black Friday sales for better deals - how to find the best prices

• Black Friday 2025 has stretched into ‘Black November’, making real bargains harder to spot
• Many headline deals have been cheaper at other times, according to price-tracking data
• Tech tends to see the biggest genuine reductions, while fashion and homeware are hit-and-miss
• Other events like Prime Day, January sales and refurbished outlets often beat Black Friday prices
• Shoppers can still save - but only by tracking prices and avoiding hype-driven impulse buys

Black Friday has become one of the biggest retail events in the calendar, but in 2025 many shoppers are questioning whether it still delivers genuine savings.

With the cost of living squeezing budgets and retailers spreading discounts over longer periods, the traditional “one-day blowout” has shifted into something more complicated.

Here’s what you need to know, and whether it’s actually worth your time this year.

‘Black November’?

Major retailers now begin their Black Friday promotions as early as the first week of November; names like Amazon, Argos, Currys, and Boots all run multi-week sales rather than 24-hour events.

That makes it harder to know when the lowest price will land, and easier for consumers to assume a deal is good simply because it’s been labelled “Black Friday”.

Price-tracking sites repeatedly show that a large share of Black Friday “deals” have been cheaper at other times of the year.

Retailers also use extended sale periods to smooth out demand and avoid delivery chaos in the run-up to Christmas. For shoppers, that means fewer genuine bargains, and more middling discounts.

How does Black Friday look in 2025?

This year’s Black Friday lands after a year of fluctuating inflation and softer consumer demand. Retailers are competing hard for their customers’ limited disposable income, but they also don’t want to sacrifice margins more than necessary.

Expect discounts, but expect many of them to be strategic rather than spectacular.

Tech categories such as TVs, laptops, headphones, and smart home devices tend to have the steepest cuts, because models update regularly and older stock needs to move.

Fashion, homeware and beauty are more hit-and-miss: you might find a few standout offers, but widespread 50%–70% discounts are less likely if retailers have already spent the year clearing overstock.

Is Black Friday still worth it?

It can be... if you’re disciplined. Black Friday is worthwhile for:

• Big-ticket tech where previous-generation models drop sharply.
• Products you’ve tracked for months, where you know the price history.
• Brands with consistent seasonal patterns, like Shark, Ninja, Apple third-party retailers, and Samsung.

It’s less worthwhile for:

• Impulse buys that you wouldn’t consider at full price.
• Fast fashion, which often cycles through similar discounts all year.
• Unknown brands with artificially inflated RRPs.

The key rule: a deal is only a deal if you needed the item anyway and it’s at a price that historically counts as low.

Where you can get better deals instead

Black Friday isn’t the only discount window, and in some cases, it isn’t even the best.

• Amazon Prime Day (which usually falls in July) and the newer October event often beat Black Friday on Amazon’s own devices and mid-range tech.
• January sales can undercut Black Friday on home appliances, furniture and TVs as retailers clear winter inventory.
• End-of-season fashion sales (late December and late June) usually offer steeper reductions than November.
• Warehouse outlets and refurbished stores, such as Apple Refurbished, Dell Outlet, Dyson Outlet, and eBay Certified Refurbished, regularly list products cheaper than Black Friday prices, with full warranties.
• Supermarket loyalty prices (Tesco Clubcard, Nectar Prices) can sometimes beat Black Friday for everyday tech, alcohol and home goods.

Black Friday 2025 is still a solid opportunity for savings, but only if you shop deliberately, track prices, and avoid getting swept up in the hype.

For many categories, you’ll find equal or better discounts at other times of the year. So treat Black Friday as one part of the retail calendar, not the be-all and end-all, and your wallet will thank you.