How to shop smart in the sales

It sounds so simple, but there’s no better time to make a list and check it twice. Prepare by writing a list of what you want to buy and people you are getting presents for. Before committing to the purchase button, check your basket’s contents match your shopping list. If it's not on the list, chances are you've been tempted into an impulse buy.

Some online shops let you create online wishlists. Make your list early – then come the sales, move the items from your wishlist to basket without being distracted by the rest of the site.

Next day delivery puts pressure on delivery drivers to travel to multiple locations and doesn’t allow for the most efficient route planning. Choosing longer delivery options means they can combine deliveries in the same area and reduce air pollution from vehicles. Consolidating orders into one also helps with this.

Choosing ‘click and collect’ can also help reduce air pollution from delivery drivers, as they have to make fewer individual trips. Choose a collection point close to home and you can grab your items when you’re already headed that way.

Price comparison sites aren't just for bills and insurance: some sites compare products too - handy for weighing up all the deals in one place!

Did you know a Which? Investigation found a significant number of Black Friday deals were actually cheaper before and after the sales event? It's useful to do research beforehand to see if something is really discounted or just surrounded by sale signs. Using a price history tool, like PriceSpy, shows price history and tells you if something has been marked up before the weekend to make a discount look like a better deal.

Looking to buy Christmas presents? Double-check if items in the sale have a different returns policy, as some retailers may only allow an exchange or have a shorter returns window. Otherwise, you may be caught out with Christmas gifts that can't be changed, swapped or refunded. Keep track of receipts in your inbox by making a folder so that if you have to make a return, you know where to find your proof of purchase.  

Not sure about an item and already planning to return it? Better to skip it. The millions of orders and returns we make not only have a huge environmental impact from shipping, but sadly not all returns even make it back to the shelf. Often, returns with no faults will simply be sent to landfill because of the time and cost efficiency of sorting them all out.

Tap into incognito mode if you want to browse products without the ads that follow you around afterwards. This will allow you to have a peek without the haunting temptation of ads that won’t take no for an answer.  

Keep in mind that if you log in to an account to buy an item in incognito mode, you'll still get ads for it.

While bigger brands go big on the ads, remember your smaller, local and independent vendors. Some might not be able to hold big sales but will also be hoping for the extra traffic on the day. You can check in with retailers beforehand to see if they will be running any promotions.   

Sites like Etsy, Depop and Not on the High Street are useful for finding small and independent creatives – filter for ‘handmade in the UK’.