Check before you bag Black Friday ‘bargain’
SHOPPERS are being warned not to fall for Black Friday “hype”, after experts found just one in 20 November offers were true deals.
Bargain hunters are poised for the sales event this week, but a probe by consumer group Which? found few genuine discounts.
After tracking 83 products from big retailers from six months before Black Friday 2018 to six months later, Which? found only four were cheaper than at other periods.
In the two-week period before and after Black Friday, three-quarters of products were cheaper or the same price in the following six months.
Natalie Hitchins, head of Which? home products and services, said: “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.”
Examples of Black Friday “deals” unearthed by the Which? team included a Samsung soundbar at Currys PC World offered for £299. But within a month, the price fell by £49 for at least five days and it was sold for £280 at least 13 times in the six months after Black Friday.
A DeLonghi coffee machine was £399 at John Lewis on Black Friday, but in the following six months it was cheaper on at least 64 days – and sold for £368 on at least 35 occasions.
Amazon sold its Echo (2nd Gen) smart speaker for £54.99 – 39 per cent off – but it was cheaper on at least 13 occasions before Black Friday. Amazon told Which? it offered thousands of Black Friday deals “at a time of year when we know saving money is important to our customers”.
It said online shoppers could easily compare prices and make “an informed purchase decision”.
Currys PC World said 40 per cent of its Black Friday offers were at their alltime lowest price last year.
John Lewis said its “Never Knowingly Undersold” policy meant “we offer our customers the best value on the high street all year round, including during the Black Friday period”.
Which? Black Friday tips include:
● Don’t impulse buy. Work out what you need or want and how much you’re prepared to spend;
● Don’t worry about missing out on a good offer – you could be better off waiting until after Black Friday anyway;
● Find out about offers in advance by signing up to retailers’ newsletters or checking their social media pages;
● Compare the price on previous days, using sites such as PriceRunner;
● Don’t always trust reviews you find online. Which? has found shoppers risk being misled by fake praise.