It’s that day of the year when everything goes on sale for big discounts. For consumers, it means great products at great prices. For merchants, Black Friday means one of the best revenue streams throughout the year. Though Black Friday is largely centered around the US, the big shopping day has transcended to other markets as well. Thanks in large parts to global eCommerce platforms. So here’s a look at Black Friday and the list of deals Sri Lankans can grab hold of.
How did Black Friday become a thing?
Despite the commercial connotation, Black Friday’s origin isn’t as rosy you’d think. In the 1950s, the Philadelphia police used the term to describe the chaotic situation that followed the day after Thanksgiving. The massive flood of eager shoppers would hit the city before its Army-Navy (American) football game that’s hosted on that Saturday every year. This meant the police had to work longer hours trying to deal with the heavy traffic and the hordes of shoppers. As one would suspect, this also meant that shoplifters would take advantage of the day to make off with merchandise.
About three decades later, this negative context turned into commercial success for retailers. Black Friday was reinvented to give a positive spin on things. It reflected the idea that the day after Thanksgiving is when US stores would finally turn a profit.
Of course, thanks to technology and eCommerce the one-day shopping holiday has expanded well beyond since then. Today, you’ll see Black Friday sales all across the world across many platforms, including Sri Lanka.
Cyber Monday
Due to the shopping frenzy that’s Black Friday, a certain segment of buyers would skip the big day and instead opt to shop for deals online on Monday that followed. The shopping pattern was so noticeable that it morphed into its own retail holiday, Cyber Monday. Last year, the online shopping day became the biggest in history, hitting nearly USD 11 billion in sales in the US alone.
What’s on offer
So what’s on offer for Sri Lankans? Unfortunately, you might not experience discounted prices on the scale of markets like the US. But you should come across a few deals worth checking out regardless.
Games
If you’re a gamer, you’re in luck. Several publishers and platforms have many games on sale.
PC (Steam, Epic Games Store)
Steam has sales quite regularly on the platform. One of its biggest sales has already kicked off ahead of Black Friday. The sale will go on until 30 November. You can find popular titles like Red Dead Redemption II for USD 22.49 (50% off), Mortal Kombat 11 for USD 12.49 (75% off), Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order for USD 14.79 (63% off), and many more on offer.
The Epic Games Store also has Black Friday discounts for gamers. According to Epic Games, the online store hosts more than 900 games, editions, and add-ons for Black Friday. Titles on sale include some of the more recent ones such as Crysis Remastered Trilogy and Far Cry 6. Discounts range from 15% to 75%.
PlayStation
Playstation owners can grab hefty discounts on popular titles too. Some of these include,
- Far Cry 6: Standard Edition PS4 & PS5 (USD 40.19)
- Cyberpunk 2077 (USD 24.99)
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales PS4 & PS5 (USD 29.99)
- DEATHLOOP (USD 29.99)
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy PS4 & PS5 (USD 38.99)
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (USD 23.99)
- The Last of Us Part II (USD 19.99)
You can find a full list of Black Friday deals here (US region store).
Xbox
If you’re on Xbox you can find most of the popular games at a similar discounted price here. The Xbox sale additionally includes other titles like Forza Horizon 4 (USD 19.79), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (USD 7.99), Sea of Thieves (USD 23.99), and Halo: The Masterchief Collection (USD 19.99) among others.
Books
In case you missed out on the recent Big Bad Wolf sale, fear not. The shopping holiday has offers for you too. M D Gunasena will be giving a 15% discount on your total bill for in-store purchases during 26, 27, and 28 November. If you shop online it’s 20% off.
Book Depository has deals starting from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. So whether you’re one for reading poetry, biographies, or personal development, there should be enough options that will get your attention. Book Depository even has a dedicated Black Friday manga page. You can find more details here.
You can also check out Waterstones, a UK-based bookstore, for an alternative. Titles range from Lee Child’s Better Off Dead (GBP 10) to Dave Grohl’s The Storyteller (GBP 10). Yes, it delivers to Sri Lanka and delivery charges will apply. So, be mindful if you opt to shop here.
If you’ve been contemplating trying audiobooks, now might be an apt time to dive in. Audible is offering its Premium Plus membership for USD 5.95 per month (usually USD 14.95) for the first three months. You will also get USD 20 in Audible credit. The deal will be valid for new users until 24 November. However, after the first three months, the standard USD 14.95 will apply. For those curious, at nearly USD 6 you’ll get one free audiobook every month in addition to its podcasts. Even if you cancel your subscription later, you’ll still have access to the audiobook.
Smartphones
Looking for a new smartphone? If you’re in the market for an older iPhone model you can check out Dialog’s Black Friday sale. Alternatively, you can check out Futureworld for more Apple offers. The store currently has an LKR 25,000 off deal on Airpod Max along with free accessories on most of its recent Apple devices.
For a wider range of smartphone and accessory offers, Life Mobile has a few in stock that may pique your interest. Though Life Mobile will only be kicking off its sale on 29 November instead of Black Friday.
Colombo City Centre
This year, Colombo City Centre (CCC) will be getting in on the act as well. Though this will mostly be in the form of CCC vouchers. Thereby you can spend,
- LKR 15,000 – LKR 19,000 and earn an LKR 500 CCC gift voucher
- LKR 20,000 – LKR 24,999 and earn an LKR 1,000 CCC gift voucher
- LKR 25,000 – LKR 29,999 and earn an LKR 1,500 CCC gift voucher
- LKR 30,000 – LKR 34,999 and earn an LKR 2,000 CCC gift voucher
- LKR 35,000 – LKR 39,999 and earn an LKR 2,500 CCC gift voucher
- LKR 40,000 – LKR 44,999 and earn an LKR 3,000 CCC gift voucher
- LKR 45,000 – LKR 49,999 and earn an LKR 3,500 CCC gift voucher
If you were planning on draining your wallet on a shopping spree, you could probably head on to CCC on 26 November.
Local eCommerce (Abans, Daraz, and Takas)
Additionally, if you’re on the hunt for more general electronics appliances, Abans has a Black Friday on a wide variety of consumer goods including 4K TVs, inverter refrigerators, toasters, and the like. More details here.
Other local eCommerce players like Takas and Daraz are also offering Black Friday exclusives. Takas has a store-wide 10% off on most of its products online and will be available until 28 November. For Daraz, you can find all offers via the app or online here.
So there you have it. Did we miss anything? If so, do let us know in the comments section.
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