Bag the best bargains in the January sale

Shop like a pro in the January sales

As every year after the Boxing Day sales, discounts continue well into January and there’s still plenty of time to grab a great bargain if you know where to look. As retailers continue to discount products, PriceRunner shares where you can find the best buys and the most expensive product categories to avoid. One thing they can reveal is that now is a good time to update your wardrobe.

In November last year, PriceRunners’ analysis of more than 20,000 products found that one in five of all deals on Black Friday were fake. This means that prices on every fifth product had been increased by at least 10% or more before Black Friday, to be lowered by 5% or more on the day.

Even though there are plenty of great deals to be made during the sale right now, retailers often increase prices on products before a sale starts, creating an inflated impression of a sale that looks much better than it actually is.

“Unfortunately, a lot of retailers use this corrupt sales tactic to get the attention of consumers, luring them in with seemingly great bargains and discounts. I want consumers to be wary and always compare prices before they buy. You could literally save hundreds of pounds!” said Christine Gouldthorp, Consumer Expert at PriceRunner.  

Buying products of good quality, even though they might cost more now, rather than cheaper low-quality alternatives, will always be better for both you and the environment. These will last longer and save you having to buy new products multiple times during the same time period.

However, there are often big price differences on the same product sold by different retailers, so with some quick research you can often get exactly what you need but for a lot less money.

So where are the best bargains during the January sales?

If you are looking to grab a great bargain during the January sales, there are plenty of great deals and products on sale right now, you just need to know where to look!

PriceRunner analysed thousands of prices from their website, comparing the last week of December 2021 to the same week in 2020. The best deals, i.e., the largest price reductions,  can right now be found in categories such as clothing for women, men and children, interior design products and tech such as 3D printers, power tool accessories and wearables.

After having spent more than a year at home, it’s no wonder that clothes are cheaper now as struggling retailers are trying to get their businesses up and running again and consumers back in shops.  

Some of the product categories with large price decreases during the period are:

Comparing the last week in December 2021 to the same week in 2020.

Which products are the most expensive right now?

A lot of products have been tougher to get our hands on during the last year due to the HGV crisis in the UK, global delivery issues and a semiconductor shortage. All of this will naturally create price fluctiations and naturally make them more expensive, where some increased in price more than others.

In addition to these “natural” price increases, there are also the manufactured ones from retailers, as mentioned earlier with the fake deals. The key take away here is that prices will always vary.

No matter what the reason is, PriceRunner's analysis found that the products with the largest price increases during the period can be found within tech, DYI products, kitchen products and white goods.

The most expensive product categories right now are:

Comparing the last week in December 2021 to the same week in 2020.

Products that play hard to get 

The multiple crises already mentioned disrupt our supply chains and cause longer delivery times than normal, some products are even near impossible to get your hands on, such as graphics cards and some game consoles.

When analysing the products listed on PriceRunner’s site that are currently out of stock, they found that some products are really hard to get hold of right now, for example in categories such as DIY, gaming products, home technology and outdoor care products.

Some of the product categories with particularly high out of stock levels right now are:

Whatever you might be needing right now, the January sale is a great time to bag a bargain. Just remember to plan what you need to buy, compare the price before paying and don’t spend more than you can afford.