Like every year, Black Friday will be held at the end of November. But some merchants will already be offering promotions well before the official date of the big sale. Here’s what you need to know about the 2022 edition.
It is now a ritual: November rhymes with Black Friday. It is indeed a few weeks before the sacrosanct end-of-year celebrations that this major commercial operation takes place, during which most traders offer exceptional promotions on all kinds of items, in all areas. The opportunity to prepare gifts without breaking the bank, but not only. Because this celebration of consumption is above all ideal for making good, even very good deals on all types of equipment, from mobile telephony to household appliances, including computers, video games, DIY and decoration. This will be particularly the case this year, with the approach of the Football World Cup which will no doubt make football fans want to change television sets. But also, and above all, with the generalized inflation which is driving up the prices of energy, food and many other products. Without even giving in to overconsumption, Black Friday 2022 will allow many to equip themselves at a lower cost in an economically difficult period…
What is the official date of Black Friday 2022?
Even if no official organization manages Black Friday, the great commercial operation always takes place at the same time of the year: the last Friday of November, the day after Thanks Giving, this very popular holiday in the United States. Black Friday 2022 will therefore take place on Friday, November 25, in France as in many other countries. How often, it will not be limited to a single day and should be spread over the whole weekend, therefore Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 November inclusive.
But this great clearance sale extends from year to year over much longer periods, before and after. As often, this year again, Amazon will open the ball early. The American retail giant has already launched promotions online, even ahead of its Black Friday Week, which is supposed to start on November 18. The brand is already promising discounts of up to 35% on dozens of products, before the rush. but Amazon will not be the only merchant ahead of the “official” date, and from the next few days we will see the multiplication of special operations stamped Black Friday, Mission Black Friday, Black Week, Black Friday Preview, Black Days, Hotte Days, etc
In addition, the big fair was still to be immediately followed by the traditional Cyber Monday, the other big commercial operation which is held mainly online and which should start this time on Monday, November 28. In fact, it would be better to speak of “black week”, or even “black month”…
Which brands are participating in Black Friday 2022?
Like Amazon, many stores and brands should start the festivities to attract as many customers as possible with promotions in practically all departments, flash sales and new daily reductions presented most often on special pages: several online distribution specialists such as Cdiscount (Casino group), Rue du commerce (Carrefour group), AliExpress or Ubaldi, mixed brands such as Fnac, Darty, ElectroDepot, Conforama or Boulanger, IT specialists such as Materiel.net or LDLC, and generalists like Rakuten (ex-Price Minister) will quickly enter the dance. But all the classic and “physical” brands will also be part of the party, like Leclerc, Auchan, Carrefour, etc. in short, this again, it will be difficult to escape the madness of Black Friday…
View Amazon Black Friday Deals
See the Black Friday Baker offers
See Black Friday Cdiscount offers
View Rakuten Black Friday Deals
Whether they are stamped Black Friday tout court, Black Week, Mission Black Friday, Avant-première Black Friday, Black Days, Hotte Days or other, the offers of this great sale will obviously not be limited to online merchants or products. electronics. The promotions will span virtually every department, although fashion will generally be held back in anticipation of post-holiday sales. And, of course, many high-tech products should benefit from discounts: laptops, smartphones, tablets, e-readers, computer components and storage systems (SSD and hard drives), speakers and connected watches, game consoles, drones , but also televisions, sound bars, headphones, DVDs and Blu-rays, household appliances, etc. In principle, there will be something for all tastes and all budgets. Even if voices should still be raised this year against this commercial celebration which pushes overconsumption, some calling for its outright boycott.
However, the 2022 edition of Black Friday should be marked by two phenomena. On the one hand, due to the shortage of components that has persisted since the Covid pandemic, the reductions will probably not be as significant as in other years on certain products, in particular computers and game consoles – the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series being regularly out of stock, facing more demand than supply. This situation will also be accentuated by the current energy crisis and the exchange rate of the dollar, which have led to sharp price increases, particularly at Apple. There is therefore little chance of seeing the brand new MacBook Pro M2 and other iPad 10 sold off, for example. Ditto for the iPhone 14 Pro, whose production is declining for industrial reasons, while they are very popular with the public. Attention for those who wish to offer some at Christmas! On the other hand, it is possible that the old models in stock will be offered with strong reductions: iPhone 13, MacBook Pro M1, Mac mini M1, etc. To monitor !
It is quite different for other products: Android smartphones. This is the second phenomenon that characterizes the end of 2022. Sales of phones running Android have experienced a marked slowdown – mild understatement… – since the start of the year. For lack of major innovation, the new models do not make people dream, and many consumers keep their old smartphone while waiting for real progress. A phenomenon which is accentuated with the current economic crisis, which encourages to moderate its purchases, but which is also due to the fact that the entry-level models – less than 200 euros – are clearly sufficient these days. And which affects practically all manufacturers, even the biggest ones. So, Samsung has inventory of unsold phones. And which should probably be sold off during Black Friday. We can expect Xiaomi, Oppo and others to follow suit. Enough to make good deals in theory…
While waiting for the “real” Black Friday offers, here is a small selection of products to follow and promotions already offered by several major brands. Attention, as often in this kind of operation, the offers vary from one day to another and the bargains are quickly out of stock.
What are the pitfalls of Black Friday?
Are there really good deals on Black Friday? Yes. But provided you find out beforehand, by noting and comparing prices. Because, as with the sales, the reductions displayed are sometimes exaggerated and the prices vary from one merchant to another. Also, beware of some seemingly enticing discounts. Indeed, as UFC-Que Choisir has denounced on several occasions, with supporting evidence, some merchants – including among the most famous… – did not hesitate to put forward a fictitious reference price, which was never practiced, just to display a greater reduction. Some even went so far as to artificially increase the price of their products shortly before the Black Friday period, to bring it back to normal at the start of the promotions, pretending that it was the subject of a reduction.
These excesses are no longer valid, in principle, since the application of the so-called Omnibus European directive which requires that the price actually charged during the 30 days preceding the promotion period be included as a reference (see our article on inflated prices artificially and fake customer reviews).
Finally, others even go so far as to slip unsold products into the middle of the sales, playing on color codes and names, so as to suggest that they are the subject of a special promotion. In short, vigilance is essential and it is better to follow a few products several weeks before Back Friday before cracking to find out if they are really on sale. The other condition is not to hang around: traders have limited stocks and you have to decide quickly, sometimes within a minute, so as not to miss an excellent deal.
The ideal way to detect false bargains is to follow price trends with specialized tools. There are several, especially for Amazon (see our fact sheet), which remains a major player in the market, especially for Black Friday and before the end of the year holidays. You can also go through price comparison sites, like Idealo, the PriceSpy Where i-Comparator to name only the most famous.
Can you buy abroad during Black Friday?
As Black Friday is an international commercial event, it is perfectly possible to buy on foreign sites, in Europe or elsewhere. On the Spanish, Italian or German versions of Amazon, for example, which do not offer the same promotions. But also, for the bravest, on Chinese sites like gearbest, joybuy, banggood or the giant AliExpress, who also participate in the party. Beware, in this case, of delivery times which can be quite long, except for those with European warehouses, but also of customs fees and VAT which now apply to all products from countries located outside the European Economic Community (EEC), even if they only cost a few euros, which was not the case in the past. This is especially true when choosing fast courier delivery – small parcels sent slow by post are generally less checked. As for the guarantee, you will obviously have to be patient and pray in the event of a problem… Note, however, that several major Chinese merchants, AliExpress in the lead, now have warehouses in Europe and even in France, and that they thus apply the same rules as French merchants, by integrating VAT into their price and offering the mandatory guarantees.
What is the right of withdrawal for Black Friday?
In any case, if you buy remotely, online, through a website or application, or by telephone, remember that you have a withdrawal period of 14 days from the date of delivery. You can thus get a full refund for your purchase, if you are not satisfied or if you simply regret it, and without having to provide the slightest explanation. To find out all about the application of the right of withdrawal, consult our practical sheet.
And to avoid agonizing waits, especially in the critical period before the holidays, use delivery tracking tools and services. They are generally very reliable and most also work with foreign sites, including Asian ones, from a simple code (tracking number). Above all, they will save you from having to contact customer service, and you can easily ensure that you are present on the day of delivery. To find out all about the subject, follow the advice of our practical sheet.