THE GREAT BLACK FRIDAY SWINDLE
95 per cent of ‘bargains’ are actually cheaper before the sales – or after
BLACK Friday does not offer the bargains it claims, warn consumer experts today.
Almost all of the ‘deals’ promoted around the event last year were actually on offer for the same price or cheaper in the six months either before or after.
Remarkably, just one in 20 was actually the cheapest price on that date.
Consumer group Which? has warned shoppers to be wary of what they describe as the ‘Great Black
Friday Swindle’ after analysing dozens of offers from Amazon, John Lewis and Currys PC World.
Imported from the US, Black Friday always falls on the last Friday of November. This is because the sales are scheduled to follow the American holiday of Thanksgiving which takes place the day before.
In Britain, the event has been a disaster for many retailers – particularly those with a high street presence – because they feel they have to slash prices or risk missing out on the first flush of festive spending.
Before Black Friday crossed the Atlantic, shops held off advertising discounts until the last minute before Christmas. However, the November sales event now leads to a huge spending splurge over the weekend – only to be followed by empty stores and streets through December. Now research by Which? suggests that the Black Friday sales themselves are not all they seem.
Which? tracked the prices of 83 products on sale on Black Friday in 2018 for a year, from six months before the day until six months after. Researchers found just four deals – 5 per cent – were cheaper on Black Friday than at other times. Six in ten of the products on offer, which included speakers, soundbars and kitchen appliances, were cheaper or the same price on at least one day in the six months before the event. And Which? found that three in four products were cheaper or the same price in the six months afterwards, when compared with the deals offered in two weeks around Black Friday.
The consumer group did not find evidence that any of the retailers were breaking the law. However, it is concerned that shoppers are at risk of being confused.
A Samsung HW-MS650 soundbar was £299 at Currys PC World on Black Friday, but within a month the price dropped by £49 for at least five days. The Amazon Echo smart speaker was on offer at £54.99 – an apparent saving of 39 per cent.
However, it was cheaper on at least 13 occasions before Black Friday.
Natalie Hitchins at Which? 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.’
A spokesman for Amazon, which has driven the take-up of Black Friday in Britain, said: ‘Our Black Friday Sale is about thousands of deals on a huge selection of products from every category across the site, at a time of year when we know saving money is important to our customers.’
Currys PC World said its customers ‘appreciate the increased choice during Black Friday where we have the most deals on at once’, adding: ‘When we launched our Black Friday event last year 40 per cent of those products were the lowest price they had ever been.’
John Lewis said: ‘As a participating retailer in Black Friday, we offer hundreds of deals across technology, home, beauty and fashion. In addition to the variety of offers we have… during the Black Friday period, our commitment to being Never Knowingly Undersold means we continuously monitor and match the prices of our high street competitors. As such, we offer our customers the best value on the high street all year round, including during the Black Friday period.’