Bleak warning to Black Friday bargain hunters

Consumers are being urged not to fall for Black Friday “hype” after research by consumer group Which? found that most so-called bargains cost the same or less outside the annual sales event.

With consumer prices “rising at their fastest rate in over 40 years”, savvy Christmas shoppers are searching for savings, said the BBC. But according to Which? retail editor Reena Sewraz, finding genuine deals on Black Friday is like “looking for a needle in a haystack” and “it’s rarely the cheapest time to shop”.

The group analysed 214 of last year’s Black Friday deals from seven major retailers – Amazon, AO, Argos, Currys, John Lewis, Richer Sounds and Very – looking at the prices every day in the six months before and after the shopping bonanza. Only one in seven Black Friday deals offered genuine discounts.

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Which? found that 86% of the analysed products “were actually cheaper” or priced the same in the six months before Black Friday, said The Times. And 98% were cheaper or the same price at other times in the year. None were at their cheapest on Black Friday.

Amazon and Very were the worst offenders overall, with more than 70% of products analysed available for less at other times of the year.

Retailers said that Black Friday was part of year-round efforts to offer savings to consumers.

The research from Which? is “timely”, said The Times, which reported that another recent study found that Britons “desperate” for good deals ahead of Christmas “intended to spend more” over the coming Black Friday weekend than in previous years.

Despite the warnings, bargains can be found if you know where to look. TechRadar lists 19 Black Friday 2022 offers that are the “real deals”.