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‘Black Friday’ isn’t a bargain at all, as 9 out of 10 ‘deals’ are cheaper at other times

Is Black Friday really a bargain? (Getty)
Is Black Friday really a bargain? (Getty)

‘Black Friday’ isn’t as much of a bargain as retailers hope you think it is – with nine out of ten deals last year cheaper at other times in the year, an investigation has found.

Consumer group Which? Investigated 94 popular products including TVs and cameras which were discounted in 2017’s ‘Black Friday’ sale on 24 November.

They tracked prices of deals at Currys PC World, Amazon, John Lewis and Argos for the six months before and after the ‘Black Friday’ deal.

The researchers found that 87% of the products on offer were actually cheaper at other times of the year – with almost half of the products cheaper in the six months following ‘Black Friday’ up till May 2018.

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The deals included a 60-inch TV advertised on Amazon as £799 on Black Friday which was £50 cheaper on 62 other occasions.

A Sony Cybershot camera priced at £189 by Currys PC World on Black Friday was available for less money 27 times in the six months leading up to the day of sales.

The researchers urged shoppers ‘do your research’, before shopping.

Alex Neill, managing director of home products and services at Which?, said: ‘The results of our investigation will disappoint many who are expecting nothing but bargains this Black Friday.

‘While retailers are bombarding us with promises of great discounts and time-limited sales, it’s clear that not all deals are as good as they might appear.

‘To bag a bargain, do your research and don’t get carried away by the hype when shopping in the upcoming sales.’

A spokesperson for Currys PC World said: ‘While our prices – like all retailers – can fluctuate throughout the year, we’re proud to offer our Price Promise across our entire range – and this covers the Black Friday trading period.’

A spokesperson for Amazon said: ‘We offer many thousands of incredible deals around Black Friday representing millions of pounds of savings for our customers across a vast selection of products.’

A spokesperson for Argos said: ‘During Black Friday our customers benefit from a huge range of deals on a wide range of products, all at the same time. This does not exclude these products from other promotions.’