Just as the seasons change, so too does Black Friday become Cyber Monday. But of course, that means the sales don't stop, as some Black Friday bargains continue while new (sometimes better) deals emerge to commemorate the occasion.
Included below you'll find some of the best Black Friday deals still live, but if you're on the hunt for a bargain ahead of the holidays this year you'll want to check in on our Cyber Monday page as we collect all the hottest, new deals as and when they emerge.
Black Friday 2022: top retailers
- Amazon Australia: discounts on hundreds on items, now shipping to New Zealand (opens in new tab)
- Apple NZ: typically doesn’t discount it’s own items, but worth keeping an eye on (opens in new tab)
- Catch NZ: save on electronics, small appliances, toys and more
- Dell NZ: save XPS laptops, Alienware gaming laptops, monitors and more (opens in new tab)
- Harvey Norman NZ: deals on TVs, coffee machines, vacuums and personal grooming (opens in new tab)
- JB Hi-Fi: shop for laptops, TVs, soundbars and smartphones (opens in new tab)
- Lenovo NZ: up to 30% off Lenovo ThinkPads and Yoga 2-in-1 devices (opens in new tab)
- Lovehoney NZ: up to 70% off selected items (opens in new tab)
- Microsoft NZ: could see discounts on Surface products and Xbox games (opens in new tab)
- Mighty Ape: Black Friday deals could start around November 21 (opens in new tab)
- Mobile Station: shop for smartphones, tablets and cameras (opens in new tab)
- Noel Leeming: deals on home appliances, TVs, phones and more
- PB Tech: save on PC components, laptops, headphones and much more (opens in new tab)
- Razer NZ: could have discounts on keyboards, mice and gaming headsets (opens in new tab)
- Samsung NZ: deals on Samsung phones, smartwatches, earbuds and TVs (opens in new tab)
- Secretlab NZ: save up to NZ$150 on Secretlab gaming chairs now (opens in new tab)
- Shaver Shop: Black Friday discounts on stacks of personal grooming products (opens in new tab)
- TheMarket: get 10% Samsung, Sony, LG and more (opens in new tab)
- The Warehouse: bargains on electronics, gaming and loads more
- Wiggle NZ: Black Friday may brings discounts on Garmin watches (opens in new tab)
Black Friday deals in New Zealand
TVs
Gaming
Laptops
PC security suites
Tablets
Phones
Audio
Health & fitness
Smart Home
Appliances
Personal care & grooming
Transport
Miscellaneous
Black Friday 2022: key information
When is Black Friday 2022?
Black Friday doesn’t fall on the same date every year, but it will always fall on the Friday following Thanksgiving in the US. This year, Black Friday will take place on November 25 – that’s exactly one month before Christmas.
In the last few years, we’ve seen Black Friday sales occasionally start a week or two earlier from the official date, so keep your eye out for sales from mid-November onwards. Keep in mind though that the very best offers are likely to land over the four-day weekend from Black Friday to Cyber Monday.
Speaking of Cyber Monday, this takes place on the Monday immediately after Black Friday, so Cyber Monday will take place on November 28 this year. While Cyber Monday originally started out as a separate sale, these days the two shopping dates have now merged together to form one four-day sale.
Where can you find the best Black Friday deals?
Most brick and mortar stores and online retailers will offer Black Friday deals, and our job is to help you hunt down the best of the bunch. You’ll typically find the best deals on tech from big-name retailers such as Amazon, JB Hi-Fi, Noel Leeming, PB Tech and TheMarket leading the pack.
Amazon Australia only started shipping to New Zealand in July last year, so this year will be the second time Kiwis have been able to take advantage of Amazon’s Black Friday deals. Amazon is a favourite over Black Friday because it has such a wide variety, whether you’re searching for tech items such as laptops and headphones, or looking to buy discounted toys or kitchen appliances.
Amazon Australia doesn’t carry everything though, and it doesn’t ship a few key products to Aotearoa. Kiwis currently aren’t able to buy iPhones or MacBooks from Amazon AU, and the online retailer also does not ship its own Echo smart speakers and smart displays to New Zealand. Instead, we’ve found TheMarket to be the best place to snag discounts on Apple items, while Noel Leeming, PB Tech and TheMarket offer savings on Amazon’s smart home.
What is Black Friday?
While some sources believe that the term Black Friday originates from businesses making a profit the day after Thanksgiving, and therefore being ‘back in the black,’ this belief is actually incorrect.
The first known mention of Black Friday in relation to Thanksgiving dates back to November 1951, when the journal Factory Management and Maintenance (opens in new tab) used it to describe people calling in sick the day after Thanksgiving so they could take an extra day off work.
Around the same time, police in Philadelphia (opens in new tab) were using the phrases ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Black Saturday’ to describe the horrendous traffic that crowded the streets at the beginning of the pre-Christmas shopping season after Thanksgiving.
The notion that it was the time when retailers were 'back in the black' was seen far later in the 1980s, as an explanation for the busy shopping day and an attempt to bring positivity to the term. Nowadays, the term Black Friday clearly relates to this holiday shopping period.
What is the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday?
In years past, particularly in the US, Black Friday meant physically going to a brick-and-mortar store to clamour for massively discounted items. Cyber Monday on the other hand was exclusively for online-only deals, and is a more recent addition to the retail calendar, following on the heels of the online shopping boom.
Another point of difference that’s more valid in the US than anywhere else is that Black Friday was traditionally more about lifestyle items, while Cyber Monday was geared towards electronics and other high-ticket items. These days, however, there’s no difference between what’s available on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and most deals offered in-store can also be found online.
Will there be stock issues during Black Friday 2022?
We all knew that trying to get a PS5 or Xbox Series X would be extremely difficult during the last Black Friday, but we also saw that tech and other items, such as the latest Apple devices and the Nintendo Switch consoles, can go out of stock quickly during the sales.
According to price comparison site PriceSpy (opens in new tab), stock data available on its site in early November last year showed that 73% of items monitored in its ‘computers and accessories’ category were listed as ‘out of stock’. That’s a huge number, and it far outpaces other categories that were suffering from stock shortages at the time of data collection.
PriceSpy found that 43% of products in its ‘sports and outdoors’ category were listed as out of stock, while both the ‘audio and video’ and ‘games and consoles’ categories were found to have 39% of items out of stock.
While we’re not sure yet whether Kiwi shoppers will be hit with the same stock shortages this Black Friday weekend, we do know that the chip shortage isn’t over, and supply chains continue to be stretched. With this in mind, we do strongly suggest buying more in-demand or new release products early. They are still likely to go out of stock around this time of year.
Black Friday 2022: our predictions
It’s still a little early for us to seriously dig into some predictions for Black Friday 2022. One of the big reasons for this is that September and October are typically the times when new tech is announced (the iPhone 14 is set to launch on September 7, for example). New products could mean discounts on slightly older tech is coming, so deals on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 are worth looking out for.
Moreover, there are rumours that we could have another Prime Day this year, which could also have an impact on what happens during Black Friday 2022, at least with respect to what will be discounted on Amazon Australia.
That said, we can extrapolate from previous Black Friday sales. So while it’s hard to predict what could happen this year, here are some safe bets:
- Amazon, TheMarket and Mighty Ape will push hard to dominate the online retail market
- It will be wise to wait on purchasing a new laptop, as these always get a decent discount during Black Friday sales
- If you’re looking to upgrade your home entertainment system, we expect prices to be slashed on TVs and soundbars
- There will almost certainly be great deals on big name headphones
Our tips for shopping on Black Friday
This is the fourth year that we’ll be covering the Black Friday sales in New Zealand, and as veterans of many Black Friday events, we’ve picked up a few tips and tricks in order to find the best deals and get the biggest savings on your most-wanted items. You can find all that combined knowledge right here for a crash course in becoming a Black Friday deals expert.
How do I find the best Black Friday deals?
Finding the best Black Friday deals often comes down to how much research you do ahead of time. In the lead up to the event, make sure you know exactly what you want to get out of the sale. That means going beyond finding a TV brand or laptop model that suits you, and looking at what features and specs you want to fit into your budget. Double-check previous sales prices using sites such as PriceSpy (opens in new tab), that’ll allow you to determine what a good sale price is, and you’ll know if what’s available on Black Friday beats the previous low.
Once you’ve got your spec and features down, you’ll want to consider which parts of your wishlist you can stand to drop if you do spot a particularly low price. That way you’ll know exactly what to look for when the heat is on.
Black Friday is one of the most important times of the year for TechRadar to help our readers – we spend weeks ahead of the big day (or weekend) making sure the whole site is ready for people looking for the information they need to make the right buying choice. Whether that’s knowing which is the best laptop, TV or iPad, or just seeing great deals for them through our Hawk price comparison widget, we’ve got everything you need to know.
When you’re shopping on the day, a key step to remember is to make sure you can’t get a better price anywhere else before heading to checkout. Bigger retailers tend to price match each other, but during particularly competitive events such as Black Friday, they could also look to get an edge by offering additional incentives such as free shipping. One example of this is TheMarket (opens in new tab), who tend to not only price-match other retailers, but also offer coupon codes that will save you 5-10% extra at checkout.
Of course, we’ll be bringing you the best Black Friday deals from around the web on TechRadar, so you can stick with us for the biggest value savings – however, if you are going it alone, be sure to check other retailers' offers before committing.
We do generally find that the best Black Friday deals land on the week of the sale itself, with the biggest products seeing discounts during the main event. You will be seeing discounts landing as early as the start of the month in some cases, so if you happen to spot a price that you like but you’re hesitant to commit early, consider going for it. Be sure to check the retailer’s return policy before proceeding to checkout though, and keep it wrapped up in its original packaging if you’re waiting to see if a better deal comes along over Black Friday.
Are Black Friday deals real?
Black Friday deals are real, but this time of year can also bring about some unfavourable tactics from retailers. For example, price comparison site PriceSpy (opens in new tab) found that close to one in 10 products (8%) that were listed on its website saw a price hike ahead of the Black Friday sales period. Retailers can do this to make a deal seem better than it really is, so be vigilant. We always want to help you search for a better deal at TechRadar, so we’ll only list genuine bargains on this page.
Can I get cashback on Black Friday deals?
Sometimes, yes. Your credit card may offer cashback on purchases, and some big brands, particularly for cameras, often offer cashback even when you purchase from a retailer (provided the retailer is a registered and authorised one).
Am I protected when I buy on Black Friday?
Yes. In New Zealand, anything you buy from a business online is covered by a wealth of consumer protection legislation which gives you the same rights as with any other online purchase.
Best Black Friday deals from last year
There was a lot to shop during last year’s Black Friday sale, so we’ve hand-picked a few of the top offers here to give you a taste of what to expect this November.
- Best New Zealand tech deals: top online discounts you can buy right now