‘Few genuine discounts’ found on Black Friday

RETAIL: Consumer watchdog warns shoppers after monitoring sales pricing

Just one in 20 so-called Black Friday “deals” are cheaper during the shopping bonanza than at other times of the year, an investigation from Which? has found.

Ahead of this year’s Black Friday the end of the week, the consumer group said it had found “few genuine discounts” after monitoring sales pricing around the event last year.

It tracked the prices of 83 products on sale on Black Friday last year – starting from six months before the day itself to six months afterwards.

The consumer champion looked at deals from retailers including Currys PC World, Amazon and John Lewis, and found just four (5%) products that were cheaper on Black Friday than at other times of the year.

Which? found that six in 10 (61%) 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 annual sales event in November last year.

When looking at the two-week period surrounding Black Friday itself – including sales prices in the week before and after – Which? found that three quarters (74%) of products were cheaper or the same price in the six months after.

While Which? did not find evidence that any of the retailers were breaking the law, the consumer champion is concerned that shoppers are at risk of being confused by Black Friday offers that might not be as good as they sound.

It is urging shoppers to not get carried away by the hype of Black Friday sales and to do their research to assess whether the price and quality of the product they are considering makes it the right deal for them.

Examples of Black Friday “deals” Which? found include:

– 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. Which? found it was priced at £279.97 at least 13 times in the six months after Black Friday.

– A Delonghi Autentica Cappucino Bean-to-cup coffee machine was priced at £399 by John Lewis on Black Friday. It was cheaper on at least 64 days in the six months after, including being priced at £368 on at least 35 occasions.

– An Amazon Echo (2nd Gen) (Smart speaker with Alexa – charcoal fabric) was on offer at £54.99 (39% off) on Amazon but it was cheaper on at least 13 occasions before Black Friday.

– An Indesit IDC8T3B tumble dryer from Currys PC World was £20 cheaper than its “sale price” of £199 just two weeks before Black Friday.

An investigation by Which? discovered an Amazon Echo was cheaper on at least 13 occasions before Black Friday.