What’s actually worth buying for kids in the Black Friday sales?
Every year Black Friday rolls around, and I go through the same debate — is it actually worth buying, or is it just noise designed to make you spend money you weren’t planning to spend? With two boys who are properly into cricket and football, and who go through kit faster than I can keep up with, the Black Friday sales are genuinely one of the only times of year I actually get ahead of what I know they’ll need, rather than replacing something the week it falls apart. E’s just started college at 16, and M’s moved up into Year 9 at 13, and between the two of them, they’re growing out of things fast enough that buying ahead actually makes sense.
Kids Trainers
Trainers are one of the easiest wins in the Black Friday sales, mainly because kids’ feet don’t wait for a good deal to grow. It’s worth buying a size up while there’s a discount on the table, so you’re not paying full price again in a few months when they’ve outgrown the pair you just bought. It’s also a good time to go for a better pair than you’d normally spend on, since the kids trainers that are usually out of budget often come down enough to be worth it.
Before you buy, it’s worth checking what the price was in the weeks before the sale rather than relying on the “was” price shown on the day. A quick price-history check can help you work out whether you’re actually getting a good deal. It’s also worth checking sizing charts carefully if you’re buying up a size, since kids’ shoe sizing isn’t always consistent between brands.
Kids Football Boots
Boots are another one that gets outgrown fast, and they take a battering regardless of how carefully they’re looked after. Black Friday is a sensible time to replace a pair that’s on its way out, or to buy ahead so there’s a spare ready to go when the current pair inevitably gives up.
If your child’s between sizes, it’s often worth going for the firmer ground or artificial ground boots rather than a specialist pair, since they’ll get more use across different playing surfaces over the season. And boots aren’t always the biggest discount on the day — sometimes the previous season’s colourway drops in price more than the current one, and there’s no real performance difference, just the colour.
Kids Football Kits
Kits aren’t cheap new, which makes them one of the better categories to buy in the sales rather than at full price during the season. Whether it’s a full new kit or just replacing a shirt that’s been grown out of, kits bought in the Black Friday sales make a noticeably bigger difference to the total cost than most other categories.
The best bargains tend to be on kits from a season that’s just ending or already ended, rather than the current one, since retailers are trying to clear the stock. If your child’s not fussed about having the absolute latest kit, checking last season’s stock alongside the current one can mean a significantly bigger discount for essentially the same thing.
Kids Clothing & Tracksuits
For boys who live in casual sportswear day to day, tracksuits and everyday clothing add up fast, and it’s easy to end up replacing them piece by piece at full price throughout the year. Buying tracksuits and clothing in bulk during the sales, rather than a piece at a time, tends to work out considerably cheaper over the course of a year.
Bundle deals are worth checking here specifically — some retailers offer a better percentage off when you buy multiple items in one order rather than a single item, so it’s worth adding a few things to a basket before checking out rather than buying separately over several days.
Accessories
Accessories are the easiest thing to overlook and the easiest to overspend on when you do finally get around to replacing them — water bottles, bags, base layers, shin pads, the small stuff that runs out or goes missing regularly. Stocking up on a few of these while they’re discounted means one less thing to buy at full price later in the year.
These tend to sell out fast in the sales because they’re cheap enough that people buy multiples, so it’s worth checking early in the sale period rather than waiting until the last day, by which point the smaller, cheaper items are usually the first things gone.
Is it worth buying kids’ stuff on Black Friday?
For me, Black Friday is only really worth it when I’m buying something I know the boys are going to need anyway. Trainers, football kit and everyday sportswear definitely fall into that category in our house.
I wouldn’t buy something just because it has a big discount stuck on it, but if I know I’ll be replacing it in the next few months anyway, I’d much rather get it for less. The trick is knowing what you actually need before you start browsing – otherwise it’s very easy for a bargain to turn into spending money you hadn’t planned to spend.
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