Consumer group Which? has revealed nearly all of last year's Black Friday deals it tracked were actually cheaper at other times of the year.
With Black Friday fast approaching (November 23) and brands shoving adverts in our faces left, right and centre, this is definitely the time not to be taken in.
Which? is encouraging shoppers to research before hitting the sales this year, because not everything that is sparkly and says 40 per cent off, actually is.
The consumer group tracked a number of products including TVs and cameras that were on offer over Black Friday 2017, from six months before until six months afterwards.
It found 87 per cent of products were cheaper at other times of the year, bringing into question the true value of Black Friday.
The investigation analysed deals at leading retailers Currys PC World, Amazon, John Lewis and Argos, finding that almost half of products on offer were sold for less in the six months following Black Friday.
Which? is now urging shoppers not to feel pressured into making a purchase on November 23.
Here are some examples that Which? has put together to show you the difference.
The LG 60UJ630V, a 60” 4K TV, was advertised at £799 by Amazon on Black Friday. However it was in fact £50 cheaper on at least 62 occasions after Black Friday and even dropped a further £150 for at least four days at the end of December and beginning of January.
The Sony Cybershot HX60B Superzoom compact camera was advertised as £189 (save £10) on Black Friday by Currys PC World, but Which? found it £10 cheaper at least 27 times in June and July 2017. It was also cheaper by £10 or more at least 43 times in the six months following Black Friday (including 33 days in December and January).
The 49” LG 49SJ810V TV was £599 on Black Friday from Currys PC World, but it was £20 cheaper from the end of December to mid-January, and again in April.
The Fitbit Alta HR activity tracker wasn’t advertised as a Black Friday deal, but was sold at £109.99 with a £10 discount applied by John Lewis on the day.
Which? found that waiting until after the Black Friday period would have resulted in a better deal as it was cheaper on at least 60 occasions after, starting with a further £20 discount in mid-December and even dropping to £39.99 for at least 21 days during March and April 2018.
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