Black Friday: Expert tips for how to get best deals as Which? survey finds a lot of discounts are misleading

Black Friday is just around the corner - but you'd be forgiven for thinking it's already happened. That's because our email inboxes, TV screens and internet browsers are already full of advertisements screaming about Black Friday deals and discounts, and have been since the beginning of November.

What was once an annual sales event literally confined to one day - which was always the last Friday in November - Black Friday has now become Black Week and even Black Month. The adverts we see always promise us the best possible on some of the most sought after items. For that reason many people will wait for this day/week/month before they begin their Christmas shopping, believing that if they buy any earlier than that they'll end up paying more for a product they want and end up missing out on a bargain. But, is that true?

Possibly not, if previous Black Fridays are anything to go by. Just 2% of discounted Black Friday deals were at their cheapest price on the day of the sales event last year, according to a study by watchdog Which? Ahead of this year's event, on Friday November 24, the consumer group has warned that the vast majority of so-called Black Friday deals were cheaper or the same price at other times, and said the offers “should be taken with a pinch of salt”.

Which? analysed 208 Black Friday deals last year at eight major home and technology 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 on November 25 2022. It found just five of the deals were at their cheapest on Black Friday itself.

As Black Friday sales often begin earlier in November and continue after the sale day itself, Which? also extended the sales period to include November 18 until December 2, taking in ‘Cyber Monday’ - the Monday after Black Friday which is a date dedicated to sales and discounts found exclusively online. It still found that 86% of products were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year.

Are Black Friday prices the best prices?

Retailers rarely make direct claims that they are offering the very best price on Black Friday, but Which? said “shoppers could be forgiven for believing this is when the best discounts of the year are available, given the massive fanfare and marketing around the sales period”. Which? urged shoppers not to feel pressured into making purchases on Black Friday but to take time to make sure a product was good quality and on sale at a price that genuinely offered 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. While they’re rare, there are some genuine bargains to be had – just make sure you do your research and don’t panic buy."

Alasdair Baker, who runs money saving blog The Penny Pincher told NationalWorld that many retailers will increase the selling price of a product in the weeks before a big sale event such as Black Friday so when the event time comes they can legally show a massive saving on what you might have paid in the weeks before, as a comparison. "Very often, the retailer won’t expect to sell the products at the higher price, although great for them if they do; it's purely increased to be decreased later on," he says.

"Outlandish conclusions"

The retailers themselves insist that Black Friday deals are good and genuine. Which? gave the retailers in their survey a chance to reply to their findings, and this is what they said.

An Amazon spokesman said: “Which? has looked at fewer than 30 products in their analysis. Our 2023 Black Friday Sale will offer hundreds and thousands of deals to customers, including our lowest prices of the year on a range of top brands including Ninja, Braun, ghd, and our own Amazon devices.”

An Argos spokeswoman said: “Which? has leaped to outlandish conclusions, based on just one ‘Black Friday’ deal at Argos. We offer hundreds of great value deals across a wide range of products each year. This does not exclude these items from other promotions and clearance sales in the future. Right now customers have extra peace of mind when they shop with us, thanks to our Black Friday Price-Promise badge. This guarantees the product will not fall below the current price before January 1 2024.”

An AO spokeswoman said: “This is classical biased, unbalanced Which? ‘research’ that’s rolled out every year and always totally misses the point and doesn’t represent the value that Black Friday’s promotional period delivers for hard-pressed households to reduce the cost of Christmas.”

A John Lewis spokeswoman said: “Our customers can get great offers with us all year round but anyone who visits our website today will see we have thousands of significant Black Friday deals for our customers – including up to 40% off selected small kitchen appliances, 20% off selected beauty products and 25% off selected Lego to name a few.”

A Currys spokeswoman said: “Prices can change throughout the year – especially due to other great sale promotions we run on a range of categories – but Black Friday is still a great time to get a good deal and we always encourage our customers to take advantage of our price match guarantee at this time.”

How to shop savvy in the Black Friday sales

That pressure to buy mentioned by Which! can be hard to ignore, especially when it seems like the adverts are coming at us from all angles.

So, if there is something you're hoping to get in the Black Friday sales this year, how can you avoid that pressure and be sure you've got a genuinely good deal before you commit to purchase? NationalWorld has spoken to a variety of experts to get the top tips and advice you need so you can shop savvy this Black Friday.

Helen Dewdney, The Complaining Cow, a consumer champion, has provided eight great tips so you don’t get caught out by any misleading deals, and also save yourself some extra money in the process. They include using price-tracking tools, using discount sites and sticking to a list of what you need or want. You can see more detail on her tips in the information box below.

Maddy Alexander-Grout, who is a money saving TikToker at Mad About Money, also warned that people should be aware of Black Friday scams as she says that scammers are creating clones of reptuable retailer's sites. "If there isn't a secure payment gateway, run! If there is a timer telling you how long you have left to purchase, run!" she says.

She also advises people to check out offers from small businesses as she syas they have some of the most genuine offers on Black Friday. "People notice more if they hike their prices, so they don't" - and that includes int he run up to Black Friday, she said. "And shopping local is a great way to support the community around you."

Baker advises that people should always sleep on their decisions, and never buy impulsively. He says: "Even if it seems the deal of the century, sleep on it. Put the item into your basket and wait, preferably overnight. At the very least, it gives you time to decide if the price or product is right for you, and if it is, and you still want to buy, you might find the retailer has sent you an extra discount code by email to entice you to buy, so it's a win-win."

He also warns that people should only buy what they can afford or what they intended to anyway, or they could end up paying a heavy price by being sucked in by promotions. "A discount is only a discount if you're actually making a saving on something you need to buy; if you're buying it because it's cheap, then it's an unbudgeted expense.

"If you have to use your credit card to pay for an unbudgeted expense and won't pay the card off in full, then remember the interest you're going to pay on that purchase is likely to wipe out the discount on the deals, so you gain nothing."

Shopping and money saving expert Polly Arrowsmith also offered this word of caution to NationalWorld: "Retailers can bring in products with different specifications, exclusives, or specials (for Black Friday) so just check carefully what you are actually buying."

Karen Gee, the founder of the family cycling website Cycle Sprog, is an expert when it comes to all things bikes. She looks up the best Black Friday bike deals every year, so she's learned a thing or two about finding the top products at the lowest prices. She's shared her tips with NationalWorld, and they can easily be applied to any product. One of the main things she points out is that cheapest is not always best.

"My advice is to not get carried away and go for the cheapest possible product, as it can be a real false economy," she says. "Do some research in advance, read product reviews and draw up a shortlist. Read the one star reviews of the products (as well as the five star ones). On Black Friday don't get distracted by the cheapest - look for best value for money."

She adds that the headline price may not be the best price and advises people to look at the returns policy and delivery costs too - it's no good buying a cheap product that you can't return as if it's not suitable you've then actually lost money rathet than saved it.