Black Friday buyers warned to be cautious of offers | EUROtoday

Black Friday buyers must be cautious of offers to keep away from being ripped off, a shopper group has warned.

Nine out of 10 Black Friday provides are literally cheaper or the identical worth at different instances of the 12 months, in response to analysis by Which?

Black Friday initially marked the day after Thanksgiving within the US and the beginning of the US Christmas buying season.

However in recent times the gross sales have prolonged into the weeks earlier than and after, with Cyber Monday driving thousands and thousands in on-line gross sales.

Shoppers spent an estimated £13.3bn through the Black Friday gross sales in 2023, in response to Which?

Its researchers checked out 227 merchandise in final 12 months’s Black Friday fortnight between 20 November and 1 December.

The offers analysed had been from eight of the largest house and tech retailers within the UK and a number of the merchandise on provide had been the identical worth or cheaper at completely different instances within the 12 months.

In what it known as “one of the worst examples”, Which? discovered a hairdryer priced at £18.99 in a Boots Black Friday deal, claiming to be decreased from £49.99.

However, the product had by no means been £49.99 at Boots within the previous 12 months.

Which? mentioned a spokesperson for Boots informed it its researchers had “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.” The BBC has contacted Boots for a remark.

Which? additionally highlighted a earlier John Lewis Black Friday deal which featured a smartwatch discounted to £294 with a saving of £90. But Which? discovered at no level within the earlier 12 months had it been offered at £384.

Which? mentioned a John Lewis spokesperson informed it: “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.”

The BBC has contacted John Lewis for comment.

Harry Rose, editor of Which? Magazine said: “We want retailers to drop the sneaky pricing tactics so consumers are not misled about the deals on offer.”

He suggested buyers to check costs at a number of retailers and use web sites which examine the product’s worth historical past.

“That way you’ll know a good deal when you see one,” he mentioned.