Black Friday might not be a day of bargains after all as an investigation found nine out of 10 ‘deals’ are the same price or cheaper at other times of the year.
Which? blew the whistle on big retailers like Boots and John Lewis for their dubious discounts. The shopping bonanza set for this Friday is already causing a stir with promotions galore, with Brits having forked out a whopping £13.3billion during last year’s event.
Which? looked at prices on 227 items from the Black Friday fortnight of 20 November to 1 December and shockingly revealed that 92% were no real bargain and could be snapped up for the same dosh or less at other times.
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What is even more unbelievable is the fact that some deals which carry a ‘was’ sign, which state how much the product usually is, in fact hadn’t been that price for over a year.
(Image: Amazon)
Take for instance, a flashy Remington Shea Soft Hair Dryer flogged by Boots for £18.99, claiming a slash from £49.99 but according to Which? it hadn’t cost that much for 12 months.
In a shocking reveal, it turns out that major retailers like John Lewis may have been pulling a fast one on their customers. A Garmin Venu 2S smartwatch was tagged at £294, flaunting an alleged saving of £90.
Yet, Which? has spilled the beans – not once did the price hit £384 at John Lewis in the past year, and the top price observed was rather £349.99.
Meanwhile, Richer Sounds were flogging a Toshiba 24WK3C63DB TV as an “Inflation Busting Mega deal” for £139, but – oh dear – it appears this price had been fixed for 80 days prior to the sale. Even more cheekily, before that, it was actually cheaper by a tenner!
Which? Magazine’s Harry Rose said: “Our investigation is a reminder to shoppers that they should not feel pressured to splash out on Black Friday purchases as those deals are usually repeated, if not beaten, at other times of the year.”
He added, with a hint of consumer wisdom, “We want retailers to drop the sneaky pricing tactics so consumers are not misled about the deals on offer. When looking to make a purchase, it’s worth comparing the price at multiple retailers and checking the product’s price history using a site such as PriceRunner or CamelCamelCamel, that way you’ll know a good deal when you see one.”
(Image: AMAZON)
Boots responded to Which?’s findings and said: “Which? reviewed a very small number of our Black Friday deals from last year and in all cases the items were at a lower price whilst on promotion or when price matched against competitors. We remain committed to offering great prices and value for money for our customers all year round and offer a packed programme of promotions and deals as well as constantly reviewing our pricing to ensure it remains competitive.”
A John Lewis spokesperson said: “In a highly competitive and dynamic market, our customers can find brilliant offers with us all year round. But the recent return of our reimagined Never Knowingly Undersold brand promise – which matches prices with 25 leading retailers – gives customers absolute confidence that they are getting fantastic value.”
Currys said: “We share Which?’s concern about poor Black Friday deals and welcome their efforts to hold the industry to higher standards. Today’s report is based on last year’s pricing. We have rigorously reviewed our approach to Black Friday since the publication of their report this time last year and have implemented a minimum standard rule based on a key criteria they outlined. We guarantee that none of our 3,000 plus Black Friday deals will have been cheaper at any point in the last six months.”
A Richer Sounds spokesperson said it made clear anything marked as “Fantastic Black Friday Value” may have been at a lower price previously, adding: “Inflation-busting mega deals” were separate to Black Friday.
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