Warning issued to John Lewis, Boots, Currys shoppers visiting stores this week

90 per cent of Black Friday “deals” are cheaper or the same price at other times of the year, an investigation found. Consumer group Which? accused retailers including pharmacy giant Boots, department store John Lewis and Currys of using “sneaky tactics”.

Which? analysed the credibility of the “was” prices used to justify the claimed savings on offer and found it was common for products to be discounted beforehand. 14 deals saw the higher price not charged once at that retailer in the previous 12 months.

Harry Rose, editor of Which? Magazine said ahead of Christmas and Black Friday: “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.

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“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.”

Boots said: “Which? 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. We remain committed to offering great prices and value for money for our customers all year round and offer a packed programme of promotions and deals as well as constantly reviewing our pricing to ensure it remains competitive.”

A John Lewis spokesperson said: “In a highly competitive and dynamic market, our customers can find brilliant offers with us all year round. But 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.”

Currys 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 plus Black Friday deals will have been cheaper at any point in the last six months.”