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The Wirecutter Show

Don't Get Swindled on Black Friday

Nov 29, 2024
Nathan Burrow, Wirecutter's senior deals editor, shares expert strategies for navigating the chaotic Black Friday landscape. He discusses how many deals are designed to mislead shoppers and offers tips for spotting genuine discounts. Burrow emphasizes the importance of understanding pricing tactics and recommends focusing on small kitchen appliances and electronics. He also touches on secure payment methods and creative gift ideas like shared subscriptions, aiming to empower listeners for savvy holiday shopping.
26:18

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • To effectively identify real Black Friday deals, consumers must differentiate between genuine discounts and misleading pricing strategies employed by retailers.
  • Caution is essential when purchasing discounted products, as low prices may indicate inferior quality models that do not meet consumer expectations.

Deep dives

Identifying Real Bargains

To find genuine discounts during Black Friday, it is crucial to distinguish real price drops from misleading sales claims. Retailers often inflate the original prices to make discounts appear more substantial, which complicates the shopping experience. The goal is to identify deals that are not only substantial but also lower than the historically observed prices throughout the year. For example, a popular portable Bluetooth speaker may often be advertised as on sale for $80, but it has only seen a real discount if it drops to $70, which reflects a legitimate bargain.

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