Shoppers searching for Black Friday bargains are being warned that most deals do not offer genuine discounts. Analysis of more than 200 offers last Black Friday found 98% were cheaper or the same price at other times in the year, consumer group Which? said.
The warning comes as the number of people hitting UK shops this Black Friday is forecast at 12.8% higher than 2021, retail experts Springboard said. Many are under extra pressure to make savings as the cost of living rises.
Which? analysed 214 Black Friday deals last year at seven major home and tech retailers - Amazon, AO, Argos, Currys, John Lewis, Richer Sounds and Very. It looked at their prices every day in the six months before and after the sale day which was 26 November 2021. Out of the deals analysed, Which? found 183 or 86% were cheaper or the same as their Black Friday price in the six months before the sales event.
Some 209 deals or 98% were cheaper or the same price at other times in the year. None were cheaper on Black Friday alone. It found that at department store John Lewis, an £869 Bosch fridge was £20 cheaper after the Black Friday sale and remained so until the next year.
Which? also found that some retailers temporarily raised prices of goods just before Black Friday, so they would seem discounted by the time the sales day arrived. It found that a £279 Toshiba TV at online retailer Very included a £100 discount on Black Friday. But the TV was only priced at £379 for three days in the month before Black Friday.
Which? retail editor Reena Sewraz said: 'It's rarely the cheapest time to shop and you'll probably find the things you want are the same price or cheaper as we head towards Christmas, the New Year and beyond.'
