The vast majority of Black Friday deals are cheaper or the same price at other times of the year, an investigation has found.
This Friday (November 24) is set to kick off one of the biggest Black Friday events ever as shoppers try to bag bargains for Christmas during the ongoing cost of living crisis. But consumer watchdog Which? has warned people to be wary that offers may seem too good to be true after they found just 2% of discounted products were cheaper on Black Friday.
Its researchers analysed 208 Black Friday deals last year at eight major home and tech retailers – Amazon, AO, Argos, Boots, Currys, John Lewis, Richer Sounds and Very – looking at their prices every day in the six months before and after the sale day of November 25 2022. Out of these products, just five were at their cheapest on Black Friday itself and 98% were also cheaper, or the same price, in the six months before or in the six months after the big sales day.
Black Friday sales often begin earlier in November and continue after the sale day itself, so Which? also extended the sales period to include November 18 until December 2 including Cyber Monday, and found 86% of products were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year.
One of the worst examples Which? found was Apple Airpods, 2nd generation. At both Argos and Currys these were discounted from £139 to £119. However these products were cheaper than their Black Friday price every day between May 25 and September 9 where the price varied between £99 and £109. The price only increased in September to £139 then dropped to £119 in Black Friday week.
At Amazon, the Garmin Lily Sports Edition smart watch was discounted from £199 to £149 but Which? found it had been cheaper on 58 days before Black Friday including £114.99 during the Amazon Prime Day sale, when the retailer often offers significant discounts. Overall, at Argos, three quarters of products that were on offer on Black Friday and included in Which?'s analysis were actually cheaper at other times of the year compared to their price on Black Friday. This was the highest proportion of any of the retailers Which? looked at.
The vast majority of products at Argos were TVs, which typically drop in price after new models are launched in the spring. One TV was £120 cheaper than the Black Friday price the following March. Argos told Which? that only one product in its analysis was a Black Friday deal, while the others were part of other promotional offers.
However, Which? found many of the Argos products included in the analysis had "Black Friday" included in the online URL and were included in a section of the retailer’s website called "Black Friday deals and hot products".
Amazon had the second-highest percentage - 69% - of products that were cheaper than their Black Friday price at other times of the year.
The online firm told Which? it aims to offer great value throughout the year, through price-matching and seasonal deal events. At Very, AO, and Richer Sounds, Which? found around half the products, or more, were cheaper in the six months before or after Black Friday.
Although retailers rarely make direct claims they are offering the best price on Black Friday, shoppers could be forgiven for believing this is the case given the massive marketing around this sales period. Which? are advising shoppers to do their research before splashing the cash to ensure they are buying a product that is genuine value for money.
Ele Clark, Which? Retail editor said: “Our research shows that you don’t need to feel pressured to splash out on Black Friday as it’s rarely the cheapest time to shop. Retailers are not unaware of the extra pressure on household finances this year and will be keen to use Black Friday to attract shoppers looking to get the most for their money.
“While they’re rare, there are some genuine bargains to be had - just make sure you do your research and don’t panic buy. It's worth comparing the price at multiple retailers and checking the product’s price history using a site such as PriceRunner or PriceSpy - that way you’ll know a good deal when you see one.”
An Amazon spokesperson said: “We seek to offer our customers great value throughout the year, both through price-matching to ensure our prices are as low or lower than other retailers and with fantastic seasonal deal events that saved our customers hundreds of millions of pounds on Holiday deals last year.”
A Boots Spokesperson said: “Black Friday is a brilliant time to pick up some of our very best deals. Last year, we started promotions early, with discounts running throughout the whole of November. We always aim for our Black Friday deals to be our very lowest prices – last year we had over 18,000 deals on offer.
“Of the small number of deals reviewed by Which? these were only lower prices during a promotional period - namely our January sale, when we often offer big discounts on clearance items. We also offer a price match promise on our range of electrical beauty products.“
A John Lewis spokesperson said: “Our customers can get great offers with us all year round, and while some of these prices were impacted by our retired Never Knowingly Undersold policy - we’re focused on great quality and value, having invested significantly to keep prices down in-shops and online."
A spokesperson for Richer Sounds said: “We try hard to be 100% transparent with our customers, so they can make informed buying decisions.” A spokesperson for Very commented: “We offer great value on a range of products across all categories throughout the year, including via regular promotional events. Black Friday is one of these events and we know our customers value the deals at this time of year.”
AO stated the Which? findings didn't represent the value that their Black Friday promotions provide. Argos told Which? that only one of the products was a Black Friday deal with all other products being part of its everyday competitive pricing and standard promotional offers. Which? put its findings to Currys, but it did not respond.