The vast majority of Black Friday ‘deals’ are cheaper or the same price at other times of the year, according to new Which? research.
Which? looked at deals on 227 products in last year’s Black Friday fortnight between 20 November and 01 December. Nine in 10 (92%) of the deals analysed – all from eight of the biggest home and tech retailers – were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year.
For the first time, the consumer group also examined one of key elements of Black Friday sales pricing – the credibility of the “was” price used to illustrate the scale of the supposed saving.
Which? found that for six in 10 deals, the higher price had been in place less than half the time the product was available in the year before the promotion – suggesting it was common for the product to be discounted.
Furthermore, Which? found 14 ‘deals’ where the higher price had not been charged once at that retailer in the previous 12 months.
“Our investigation is a reminder to shoppers that they should not feel pressured to splash out on Black Friday purchases as those deals are usually repeated – if not beaten – at other times of the year,” said Harry Rose, editor of Which? Magazine.
“We want retailers to drop the sneaky pricing tactics so consumers are not misled about the deals on offer.
“When looking to make a purchase, it’s worth comparing the price at multiple retailers and checking the product’s price history using a site such as PriceRunner or CamelCamelCamel – that way you’ll know a good deal when you see one.”
The consumer group has called on retailers to “clean up their act” on pricing, including only quoting savings against the most recent previous price and for time-limited offers. The offer must also be in place for a shorter period of time than the higher price was available. Retailers should publish the dates the higher price applied to and be able to show that it is representative of the pricing history.
Responding to the call, Ed Connolly, chief commercial officer, Curry’s, said: “We share Which?’s concern about poor Black Friday deals and welcome their efforts to hold the industry to higher standards.
”Today’s report is based on last year’s pricing. We have rigorously reviewed our approach to Black Friday since the publication of their report this time last year and have implemented a minimum standard rule based on a key-criteria they outlined. We guarantee that none of our 3,000+ Black Friday deals will have been cheaper at any point in the last six months – a move Which? say they are pleased to see.
”Earlier this month we issued a plea to all retailers to join us and Save Black Friday. We believe an industry wide adoption of our minimum standard rule, which we haven’t seen yet, would be an important step in rebuilding consumer trust in this important retail event – one that is arguably even more important against this continually challenging economic backdrop.”
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