Most Black Friday ‘deals’ not cheaper
CONSUMER: Just one in 20 so-called Black Friday “deals” is 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 on November 29, the consumer group said it had found “few genuine discounts” after monitoring sales last year.
JUST ONE in 20 so-called Black Friday “deals” is 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 on November 29, 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 (five per cent) products that were cheaper on Black Friday than at other times of the year. Which? found that six in 10 (61 per cent) 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 per cent) 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, which 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
Don’t fall for the pressure tactics around Black Friday.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services.
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.
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.”
Currys PC World told the consumer group: “Our customers tell us that they appreciate the increased choice during Black Friday where we have the most deals on at once.
“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: “In addition to the variety of offers we have instore and online during the Black Friday period, our commitment to being Never Knowingly Undersold means that we continuously monitor and match the prices of our high street competitors throughout the year.”
Amazon 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.