Black Friday is just a sale

Black Friday was an idea imported from the US, largely after frenzied scenes of people fighting over bargains began to make headlines in the UK.

If Americans could be persuaded to come to blows with each other over consumer goods, then surely British people could be persuaded to be just as eager.

And so, with pound-signs in their eyes, retailers engineered the birth of the British Black Friday sales.

The impression created was of the “sale of the year”, when things could be bought for the lowest possible price. Surprise, surprise, that impression turns out to be false.

Consumer watchdog Which? tracked the prices of 94 popular products on offer during Black Friday last year and discovered that 87 per cent of them could be bought for less at a different time of year.

So, if you are planning to make a significant purchase on a budget, do your homework and work out the best available price.

Don’t be fooled by slick marketing, don’t let big companies manipulate you.

And, please, don’t resort to violence.