When is a sale a sale? Black Friday deals anyone?

Did anyone buy anything in 2015’s Black Friday sales? I held back this year because the deals were not as good as last year. This is not only because there were fewer bargains (and most “bargains” were existing clearance items – see Chain Reaction’s Black Friday “sale”), but also because the exchange rate is terrible at the moment. Buying in Sterling (from Chain Reaction, Wiggle, Evans and other online stores) means sale prices which looked reasonable ended up being higher than I was willing to pay when converted to euro. This has been good news for local Irish bike shops. I’ve found myself buying things from them I’ve only been buying online for some years. I can’t see it lasting though; I expect the January clearance sales will make the current exchange rate with the UK less of a concern. I also expect the January sales to be excellent. 

Last year I think the online sellers’ front ended their sales before Christmas. This year the economy has picked up and they are holding back hoping for higher prices to be paid by triathletes with disposable income. Where I did notice some good deals was junior gear. Junior bikes, wetsuits, clothing and accessories all seem to be decent value this year.

Whatever happens, the online retailers need to start changing their strategies:

I am tired of receiving emails for the latest sale from a given triathlon or cycle gear retailer only to follow a link to gear which has remained unchanged in price for months. The Black Friday sales illustrated the problem with this. The next day the same sale was renamed things like Sonic Saturday, then super Sunday and then Manic Monday and so on. If there is to be a one-off sale, let it be a one-off sale and make it a good one. Stop selling us lemons.

Another one to annoy me is the extra 10% or 20% off winter gear. You choose something, go to the checkout and then get told it doesn’t include existing sale items. Then don’t use the word “extra”. This is misleading.

I also dislike retailers who send large numbers of emails to Irish customers only to add £10 for postage. Rutland Cycling is the worst offender for this. You can spend thousands with them and they’ll offer no free postage or discounted postage.

You want to sell me stuff, then negotiate harder with suppliers and offer better prices. Some cycling gear remains way over priced and needs to be discounted to make it affordable.

In the New Year, don’t forget that local bike shops also have sales. Sometimes these sales are excellent.