SINGAPORE - Barely a month after Singles Day on Nov 11, the discounts are back in full force for the Black Friday sale on Friday (Nov 29). The annual American retail sale that traditionally takes place on the Friday after Thanksgiving has been gaining traction with both shoppers and retailers here in recent years.
Based on 2018 online retail sales data, Black Friday is the second-biggest online shopping event in Singapore, behind Singles Day, according to a survey by advertising platform Criteo. The data found that online retail sales and traffic in 2018 jumped by 114 per cent and 83 per cent respectively.
While many of the best deals are found in brick-and-mortar stores, these days, Black Friday sales usually stretch to the following Monday, called Cyber Monday, when more deals are found online.
The Straits Times rounds up nine retailers with the best deals.
1. ROBINSONS
One store rules them all on Black Friday in Singapore, and Robinsons rises to the occasion again this year.
The Great Blackout, which has drawn overnight queues in previous years, will take place from 7am on Friday to 1am on Saturday at the department store's outlets in Jem, Raffles City and The Heeren.
Shoppers can look forward to up to 90 per cent off storewide, on brands including Dyson, Samsonite, skintech brand Foreo and fashion label Oasis.
Selected items will be heavily discounted at a purchase-with-purchase price. For instance, with any purchase, you can get a Mayer 5.5L Air Fryer at $69 or two for $115 (usual price is $299 for one), and a KitchenAid 4.8L Stand Mixer Onyx at $499 (down from $1,018).
Spend a minimum of $5,000 nett storewide and get a Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro 6+128GB mobile phone in pearl white plus a Google Home Mini for free, while stocks last.
An exclusive deal for OCBC Robinsons Group Visa Card members is a free Apple iPhone 11 Pro 64GB with a minimum spend of $8,000 nett storewide, while stocks last.
The first 300 in line at each store will receive an early bird survival kit.
2. ION ORCHARD
If midnight queues and jostling with crowds are not your scene, head to Ion Orchard, where the Black Friday sales already started on Monday (Nov 25) and at a more relaxed pace.
Beauty picks rule here. Both Giorgio Armani Beauty (Nov 29 only) and Yves Saint Laurent Beauté (Nov 28 to 30) are offering 20 per cent off all purchases. At Skin Inc Skin Supplement Bar, it's 25 per cent off storewide from Nov 29 to Dec 2.
If you are shopping for gifts, until Dec 2, Pandora is offering three jewellery pieces for the price of two - limited to three redemptions per customer while stocks last.
Also until Dec 2, fans of Nespresso can enjoy deals like 50 per cent off the CitiZ machine (usual price is $358) or the CitiZ and Aeroccino Milk Frother bundle (usual price is $428), with purchase of five sleeves of coffee.
3. TANGS
Classic and preferred members of Tangs receive 12 per cent rebate on Friday and Saturday. This is up from the usual 6 peer cent and 10 per cent they usually get respectively.
They can also enjoy exclusive discounts of up to 70 per cent off home, fashion and kids' items on the two days, which have extended opening hours till 10.30pm.
On Friday only, deals in stores include the Tefal Easygliss steam iron going for $59.90 (usual price is $105) and Tanita Ultra Slim Digital Bathroom Scale for $38 (down from $100).
All shoppers can use the promo code "BFCM10" to enjoy $10 off a minimum spend of $150 at Tangs.com or on Sunday and Cyber Monday (Dec 1 and 2).
4. TAKASHIMAYA DEPARTMENT STORE
The early bird sales kick off at 10am on Nov 29, with complimentary $10 vouchers for the first 1,000 customers at the Atrium on level one.
Limited product bundles such as Thermos 0.35L SS One-Push Tumblers Set (usual price is $90 ) and Happycall IH Gold 20cm Die Cast Frying Pans will be going at two for $50 (down from $90 each).
Deals for beauty and ladies' accessories include 30 per cent off regular-priced items at Oyone Paris and 50 per cent off selected styles at Sunglass Hut, while men can buy formal shirts from Cote Opera or Formen for only $25.
If you're looking for luggage for your year-end trip, Pierre Cardin's 20- and 24-inch 4-Double Wheels Expandable Hard Case Spinner luggage with Anti-theft Zipper and TSA Lock are now $89 (down from $548). There are also offers from Hush Puppies and American Tourister.
Bedsheets and linen on sale include microfibre quilts from Eurodale going at $100 (usual prices are $349 to $399) and eco botanic pillows from Nature Basics at $49 (down from $199).
5. OG
The stores at Albert Street, Orchard Point and People's Park are offering 20 per cent discount storewide till Dec 1 and 10 per cent rebate on Friday.
Additionally, women's wear brands like Joan Allen, Anne Kelly, Arthur Yen and Joanna Miller have discounts of up to 85 per cent, and all regular-priced shoes at Skechers are going at 30 per cent off.
Shoppers can stock up on health and wellness products at Sweet Nature, Honey Farm and HoneyWorld, which have discounts of up to 70 per cent.
Regular-priced winter wear at Vaude, as well as luggage from brands including Eminent and Slazenger, are also going at 30 per cent off, while prices of sale items have been cut by 15 per cent.
6. COURTS
The furniture and electronics retailer's 14 outlets and online store are offering price reductions of up to 90 per cent on a variety of electronics and lifestyle products till Dec 2.
Attractive gifts are also available with purchase, such as a Philips steam iron (worth $85) if you spend at least $499 and a LG 43-inch Ultra HD 4K Smart LED TV (worth $999) if you hit a minimum of $3,999.
7. METRO
In a partnership with online marketplace Lazada, Metro is offering up to 90 per cent off on a variety of products on its website.
New Lazada customers can enjoy $15 off with the code "METRONEW" if they spend a minimum of $100, and shipping is free for all shoppers who purchase more than $150 nett worth of items.
Gift vouchers and gift-with-purchase promotions are also available for shoppers who spend at least $2,000 or $3,000 on mattresses in a single receipt. Spend at least $2,000, for example, and receive an additional $200 in Metro Gift Vouchers and a gift-with-purchase Mayer rice cooker worth $239.
8. SOCIETYA
Shop Asian designers at multi-label store SocietyA, which is offering 40 per cent off all regular-priced items from Nov 29 to Dec 2.
The boutique at Takashimaya Shopping Centre carries exclusively Asian labels, such as Jonathan Liang, Peggy Hartanto, and Singapore's Aijek and Ying The Label. The sale excludes items under new arrivals, designer spotlight, trunk shows and on sale.
9. SEPHORA
Beauty fans can look forward to 15 per cent off storewide at Sephora - the closest you will get to the retailer's bi-annual VIP sale, which offers 20 per cent off. The sale is also online at sephora.sg
