How to shop smarter during the Boxing Day sales

Boxing Day sale deals

With Black Friday and Christmas now behind us, it might be that Santa missed something you really wanted on your wish list. Luckily, the Boxing Day and January sales are a great time to get that special something. With PriceRunners’ expert shopping tips, you can navigate the sales like a pro and shop safer and smarter online.  

The Boxing Day sales usually start on December 26^th, however this year many shops will actually start their sales on the 27^th as Boxing Day falls on a Sunday (apart from Scotland where it will be on the 26th), including shops like Next, Aldi and M&S.

This is all because of the fact that shops are subject to shorter opening hours on Sundays. According to government guidelines, they can be open for no more than six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm. So, make sure to plan which shops you are interested in and check that their sales actually start on Boxing Day.

The sale usually last for 24 hours, although every online and physical retailer will have their own opening hours or deadline for the sale, similar to the Black Friday sale which during recent years for many retailers has been extended to a week full of bargains, some even longer.

So how do you shop smarter during the Boxing Day sales?

To help consumers get more bang for their buck, PriceRunners’ Consumer Expert Christine Gouldthorp shared her savviest sale shopping hacks:

1. Make a list before the sale of products you actually need to buy, avoiding overspending and buying things you don’t need. It’s easy to get carried away by seemingly great deals and discounts, but that’s not good for you, your wallet or our planets' resources.
2. Set a price alert on the products you’re interested in buying, as this will take all the manual work away from you. As soon as the price drops on the product you want you’ll get an email or app notification, simple as that!
3. My golden rule is – always compare prices before you buy! Look at the products’ price history to make sure that the price wasn’t increased before the Boxing Day sales began, as many retailers tend to do. 
4. Stay safe during your Boxing Day sales shopping by being a PriceRunner member, it’s completely free and our Buyer Protection covers purchases of up to £5,000 if your purchase for some reason isn’t delivered or arrives in a damaged state and the retailer doesn’t resolve the issue.
5. Always only buy from retailers you know of already or know you can trust. During larger sales periods there are always unscrupulous sellers setting up websites that look professional, sell products on social media or through other channels that might not look fake. If you still aren’t sure, check out the handy guide from Which? on how to spot an online scam.

For an easy and stress-free overview of the best discounts during the Boxing Day sales, visit our Boxing Day sales page to grab a great bargain.