Black Friday customers must be cautious of offers to keep away from being ripped off, retail professionals have warned.
9 out of 10 Black Friday gives are less expensive or the similar worth at different occasions of the yr, in step with analysis via client staff Which?.
Whilst Sarah Johnson, director of products consultancy Flourish Retail, advised the BBC some manufacturers might inflate costs forward of gross sales to make reductions glance larger.
Black Friday firstly marked the day after Thanksgiving in america however in recent times the gross sales have prolonged into the weeks ahead of and after, with Cyber Monday riding tens of millions in on-line gross sales.
Consumers spent an estimated £13.3bn all over the Black Friday gross sales in 2023, in step with Which?.
Ms Johnson stated: “It was once that you just needed to identify a value for 28 days ahead of it may well be modified, however that is not the case.
“In consequence, many manufacturers inflate costs within the lead-up to Black Friday, letting them market it ‘giant reductions’ that, in truth, aren’t authentic.”
Which? researchers checked out 227 merchandise in final yr’s Black Friday fortnight between 20 November and 1 December.
The offers analysed had been from 8 of the most important house and tech shops in the United Kingdom and one of the vital merchandise on be offering had been the similar worth or less expensive at other occasions within the yr.
In what it referred to as “one of the crucial worst examples”, Which? discovered a hairdryer priced at £18.99 in a Boots Black Friday deal, claiming to be diminished from £49.99.
On the other hand, the product had by no means been £49.99 at Boots within the previous 365 days.
Which? stated a spokesperson for Boots advised it its researchers had “reviewed an excessively small collection of our Black Friday offers from final yr and in all circumstances, the pieces had been at a lower cost while on promotion or when worth matched in opposition to competition.” The BBC has contacted Boots for a remark.
Which? additionally highlighted a prior John Lewis Black Friday deal which featured a smartwatch discounted to £294 with a saving of £90. However Which? discovered at no level within the earlier 365 days had it been bought at £384.
Which? stated a John Lewis spokesperson advised it: “The new go back of our reimagined By no means Knowingly Undersold logo promise – which fits costs with 25 main shops – offers shoppers no doubt that they’re getting unbelievable worth.”
The BBC has contacted John Lewis for remark.
Harry Rose, editor of Which? Mag stated: “We wish shops to drop the sneaky pricing techniques so shoppers aren’t misled in regards to the offers on be offering.”
He urged customers to match costs at a couple of shops and use web sites which test the product’s worth historical past.
“That method you’ll know a just right deal whilst you see one,” he stated.
