BLAGFriday
A new report claims that very few products are actually at their cheapest today Of the 83 Black Friday products tracked by Which? in 2018...
JUST one in 20 Black Friday products is actually at sold its cheapest price.
The findings come from a new report by the charity The Consumers’ Association, more commonly known as Which?.
The consumer group tracked 83 products on offer for six months prior to Black Friday and six months after in 2018.
They found that 95% of the deal items investigated - which included tech, home and personal care products - were available for either the same price or cheaper in the six months after.
Just four of the 83 products they tracked were at their cheapest price on Black Friday last year. Which? also found that 61% of items had been the same price or cheaper in the six months before Black Friday.
Thereportwillcomeasastarkwarning to those looking to kick off the festive season today with some shopping bargains.
Traditionally an Americanism, each year the sales weekend follows Thanksgiving Day.
It was first introduced in the UK in 2010 by online retail giant Amazon.
The deals are increasingly extended to the weeks before and after the official start date.
But even when extending the period to the two weeks surrounding the day itself, including Black Friday week and
Cyber Monday deals, nearly three-quarters of products (74%) could be picked up for the same price or less in the six months afterwards.
The Which? report pointed out that it did not find evidence any of retailers in their investigation breaking the law, but expressed concern that shoppers are at risk of being confused by Black Friday offers that might not be as good as they sound.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? Head of Home Products and Services, said: “We have repeatedly shown that ‘deals’ touted by retailers on Black Friday are not as good as they seem.
“Time-limited sales can be a good opportunity to bag a bargain, but don’t fall for the pressure tactics around Black Friday.
“Our investigation indicates that this popular shopping event is all hype and there are few genuine discounts.”
The consumer group said shoppers should try and refrain from impulse buying, do their research before making any purchases, and trust reviews they’ve read online.
According to IMRG, the UK’s online retail association, shoppers spent a whopping £1.49 billion across online Black Friday deals last year - up from £1.39 billion the year before.