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Aldi Black Friday deals 2021: When the sale starts and what deals to expect on Nintendo, Apple and more

We predict the retailer will be taking part in the biggest sale event of the year again, with discounts on both named and own-brand products

Emma Rossiter

Thursday 25 November 2021 08:10 GMT

The budget supermarket is expected to slash prices on big-ticket items such as the Nintendo Switch and Apple AirPods (iStock/The Independent)

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There’s now just one more day until Black Friday – the sale which is undoubtedly the biggest shopping event of the year – and the deals are ramping up. Just like last year, we’re hoping to see prices slashed even more across tech, beauty, home appliances and more at some of our favourite stores.

Though the event may have begun as just a one-day sale in the US to mark the beginning of the festive shopping season, it has since spread worldwide with many retailers joining in on the weekend-long event, concluding on Cyber Monday. Year-on-year increasingly more retailers are taking part in the sale but, while the likes of Amazon, John Lewis and Argos are veterans to the event, this is only the second year that Aldi has taken part. However, just because the budget supermarket is still relatively new to it all, don’t rule it out.

Follow live: The best early Black Friday deals to shop now

During 2020’s event Aldi gave shoppers some amazing deals and discounts, slashing the prices of big-ticket items such as the Nintendo Switch and Apple AirPods, along with a collection of own-brand favourites. So, it’s fair to say, we’re expecting big things from the retailer this year, too.

From Boots and Very to AO, Amazon, Currys and La Redoute, a bunch of retailers have already dropped their Black Friday deals in the lead up to the big event. So we’ve got our eyes firmly peeled on Aldi.

To make sure you don’t miss a deal or discount, we’ll be bringing you all the details throughout the 2021 sale, so bookmark this page. For now though, here’s everything you need to know ahead of the mammoth event, as well as what you could be looking forward to from Aldi.

Read more:

What is Black Friday?

Traditionally, Black Friday was a one-day, in-store shopping event to mark the start of the Christmas season after Thanksgiving in the US. However, in 2010, Amazon first brought the sale to our shores.

The event really gained traction in 2013 when Asda introduced its first Black Friday sale. And now, many UK retailers have followed suit, offering huge discounts on big-name brands such as Apple, Dyson, and Samsung as well as own-brand products both in-store and online.

For our extensive list of retailers that took part in Black Friday 2020, you can read our guide here. Also check out our Black Friday 2021 liveblog here. Make sure to bookmark these pages too, because we will be updating you regularly with all the latest discounts.

What’s the history of Black Friday?

The concept of Black Friday dates back to the Fifties when shops in Philadelphia decided to discount products to mark the beginning of the festive shopping season.

However, the term itself is believed to have been first coined in the Sixties when police officers described the traffic congestion after Thanksgiving as “Black Friday”.

It was only in the Noughties though – as the internet and social media took off and videos of American shoppers raiding shelves for discounted TVs, toys and tech went viral – that the sale became more well known. Now the sale is just as much of a major fixture in the UK with more and more retailers joining the event every year, both in-store and online.

When is Black Friday 2021?

This year, the event falls on 26 November with deals dropping throughout the whole weekend, concluding on Cyber Monday on 29 November.

That being said, there are plenty of retailers that have already dropped early deals, including Amazon, which for 2021 kicked off its discounting three weeks in advance.

We’re scouting out all of the best early deals daily so you don’t miss a thing.

What is Cyber Monday?

Traditionally the online day of the event, when, historically, online sales peak. As it’s very much all an online event now, Cyber Monday is the final day of the sale.

It’s also worth noting too, that it is the last mass sale event before the Christmas period and January sales, so you won’t want to miss out.

How can I get the best Black Friday 2021 deals?

Throughout both Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we here at IndyBest will be continually updating our comprehensive guides to the best discounts you’ll want to snap up across tech, beauty, fashion, home appliances, toys and TVs, to name just a few.

We’ll also be handpicking deals from specific retailers, including Aldi, so make sure you watch this space during the sale. Unlike last year, we’re predicting Aldi’s deals to be available in-store as well as online, so it’s worth keeping an eye on your local shop as well.

Tips for shopping Aldi Black Friday 2021 sale

IndyBest will be on hand throughout the sale to help you navigate the discounts and bring you the best hand-picked bargains – as this is Aldi’s second year in the sale, we’ll be keeping a close eye on what exactly it is they’re bringing to the table.

We’d recommend signing up for an Aldi account in the run-up to Black Friday as this will make checking out a lot quicker on the day. That way you won’t miss out if an item gets really popular.

Lastly, if you’re planning to buy furniture, make sure you measure up first. And that means the space you’re buying for as well as the entrance, including doors and hallways.

What were the best Aldi Black Friday deals last year?

In 2020, Aldi offered some of the most competitive Black Friday prices we’ve ever seen. Considering it was the brand’s first time getting involved, that’s a pretty impressive feat indeed.

The retailer had an impressive range of products up for grabs, with discounts on everything from tech and homeware to health and beauty, and toys. Not only this, but it had deals across a range of its own-brand items and big household names too – Nintendo, Apple, Samsung, and Lego, were just some of those featured in 2020.

We’ve been keeping a close eye on the Nintendo Switch during 2021, and it featured heavily throughout our Amazon Prime Day coverage. In last year’s Black Friday sale, you could save just shy of £50 on the original Nintendo Switch (£259.99, Argos.co.uk) at Aldi – the lowest and most competitive price we saw on the console during the event – and we expect to see similar discounts on it this November.

You may not expect it, but Aldi is pretty up to speed with other tech offerings too. In 2020, Aldi’s sale featured Apple AirPods (£119, Johnlewis.com) at their lowest ever price, as one of the supermarket’s “special buys”. Slashing their cost by a huge £110, you could bag a pair of the popular earbuds for just £89.99. This was the cheapest price we saw on Airpods over the entire weekend – until then, the lowest price we had found was on Amazon for £124.49.

And Aldi’s online deals on the iRobot roomba vacuum (was £269.99, now £199.99, Irobot.co.uk) and Epson ecotank L3110 printer, as well as Sony speakers and 55in TVs, all sold out.

Shoppers can currently bag an Xplora fitness watch discounted by 30 per cent (£27.99, Aldi.co.uk) that comes complete with a heart rate monitor, pedometer, sleep tracking and a battery life of up to five days. Basically, it could do everything a more expensive smartwatch could but without the steep price tag. Last year there were also offers on speakers, like the Veho MX-1 rugged portable speaker (£31.99, Aldi.co.uk) which could easily rival pricier models.

We also saw great deals across gaming gear, including this Ture RGB gaming mouse (£9.99, Aldi.co.uk), which our reviewer said makes “your gaming experience as smooth as possible”. “It’s designed with a metal bottom, so you’ll always be ahead of your competitors,” they explained. And there was a matching headset (£19.99, Aldi.co.uk) to go alongside it too.

Meanwhile, in health and beauty, Aldi offered this Philips beard and stubble trimmer (£44.99, Argos.co.uk) for £29.99 – 40 per cent off its regular retail price – while the retailer’s deal on the Philips sonicare protectiveclean toothbrush (was £139.99, now £79.99, Amazon.co.uk) completely sold out.

If you can’t wait until the big day, there are a bunch of great offers in Aldi’s clearance sale right now – including a nearly 30 per cent saving on this dog harness (was £8.99, now £6.49, Aldi.co.uk) for your furry friend, or an Xplora smart fitness watch (was £39.99, now £27.99, Aldi.co.uk) for a fraction of the usual cost. You can also save 20 per cent on this Bluetooth portable speaker (was £39.99, now £31.99, Aldi.co.uk) that boasts 20 hours of battery life and water resistance.

Where can I find the best Black Friday 2021 deals?

You will be able to easily find all the best deals, discounts and special offers by checking back here at IndyBest throughout the sale, so make sure to bookmark our dedicated Black Friday page.

We’re already on top of all the best early deals every day, so regular check-ins could score you a great bargain.

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