Takealot has launched its so-called “Blue Dot Sale” where South Africa’s largest online retailer hosts thousands of products on sale for the next few days leading up to its Black Friday deals this weekend. The Blue Dot Sale is now in “Early Access” which is just another way to try and get South Africans to mindlessly run to the website and spend money on “discounted” products which aren’t cheaper in the first place.
Takealot has a notorious reputation for price gouging. Where the retailer ups the standard RRP for a product only to discount it to make it look like you’re saving money on it. Granted, there are genuine sales on the site. Not everything is a lie. However, many of these prices during this Black Friday madness are repeats of random sales which took place multiple times in the past. The average South African often falls victim to these fake sales and in the end, you’re not winning at all.
Here are some tips to avoid being scammed by Takealot and its Blue Dot Sale
Use Serval Tracker
I can’t preach this enough. Use Serval. The site is a fantastic database which tracks products on Takealot and shows what they sold for in the past compared to the current retail price.
All you need to do is copy the Takealot link into the Serval tracking field and it will show you its price history. Here, you’ll be able to see exactly how much they cost before the Blue Dot Sale fiasco started to prevent buying something which has just been marked up for the sale.
For example, looking at Takealot’s top item selection on the Blue Dot Sale page, you’ll see that most of the products have actually been the same price in the past during other random promotions. So there’s no real Black Friday sale happening here. You can likely purchase them in December for the same “Blue Dot Sale” price. Here are a few
- Samsung Galaxy S21 FE – R9.899 (was R9,999 in Feb, March, May, June, July and August)
- Samsung 55-inch CU7000 TV – R7.999 (was R7,999 in May and July)
- 50s Retro Style Filter Coffee Machine – R3.399 (the RRP is R3.899 not R4.499 as listed)
Unless a product shows a discount for the first time this week, then perhaps take advantage of the sale. If it doesn’t, Takealot isn’t discounting it beyond any price point in the past. For example:
- AEG 508L Refrigerator – R15.999
This product has only been R14,999 for a single day last week. Apart from that, it hasn’t been under R16.599. So this would be a decent sale given its price history. However, you could always wait for it to drop to R14,999 again. It has in the past.
Use the Serval Browser Extension
If copying URLs is not your thing, Serval has a browser extension which you can install on Google Chrome. It will automatically show the price graph for each product while you’re browsing the website. It is great for Chrome users. For everyone else, just use the website – servaltracker.com
Shop Elsewhere
You know you don’t have to shop at Takealot during Black Friday (shocker!). There are many retailers in SA who respect customers enough to not price gouge products and take advantage of them. Makro, Incredible Connection, Nexus Hub and Hi-Fi Corp all have sales going on. Here are a few tips to help in this situation:
- Research your product beforehand. Know what it sells for
- Check multiple stores for the best listing
- Be sure to check shipping costs and delivery ETA
- Pointless saving R200 on a product when you need to pay R200 for delivery
- Go to the store to buy the item
- Always better to see things in person
- Saves the wait time for delivery
Check out all our Black Friday sales we have spotted below:
- PlayStation Store Black Friday Sale – Up to 70% Off
- Best South African PlayStation Black Friday Sales at Retail
- Xbox Reveals Black Friday Retail Deals in South Africa
- Nintendo eShop Black Friday Sale – Up to 85% Off
- Best Nexus Hub Black Friday Games Deals in South Africa
- Xbox Store Black Friday Sale – Up to 90% Off
- Best iStore Black Friday Deals in South Africa This Week
- Best Nintendo Store Black Friday Deals in South Africa
