Best Black Friday deals: Which? finds 9 in 10 'great' Black Friday deals are misleading or exaggerated

• Which? has revealed 9 in 10 Black Friday deals in 2023 were the same price or cheaper at other times
• Shoppers spent £13.3 billion, but many ‘deals’ were found to be misleading or exaggerated
• A study of 227 products from major retailers showed 92% offered no unique value on Black Friday
• 14 deals featured inflated ‘was’ prices that had never been charged in the past 12 months
• Examples include TVs, coffee machines and toothbrushes often cheaper before or after Black Friday

A study by consumer watchdog Which? has revealed that nine out of 10 Black Friday deals in 2023 were either the same price or cheaper at other times during the previous 12 months.

The watchdog cautioned shoppers - who collectively spent an estimated £13.3 billion during Black Friday - that the majority of these so-called deals were “misleading.”

Examining 227 products from eight major home and tech retailers during the Black Friday period (20 November to 1 December), the study found that 92% of the items were no better value than at other points in the year.

Additionally, for 60% of the deals, the advertised higher "was" price had been applied for less than half of the preceding year, indicating that discounts were often exaggerated.

The investigation also uncovered 14 instances where the advertised higher price had never been charged by the retailer in the previous 12 months.

For example, Which? found that Boots claimed to have reduced the price of a Remington Shea Soft Hair Dryer from £49.99 to £18.99 for Black Friday - a 62% discount.

But Which? could not find any evidence that the hair dryer had ever been sold for £49.99 at Boots in the preceding year.

Similarly, John Lewis promoted the Garmin Venu 2S smartwatch for £294, claiming a £90 discount from a supposed £384 original price.

Yet Which? discovered that the smartwatch had not been priced at £384 at any point over the previous 12 months, nor did the price return to £384 in the six months following Black Friday.

The watchdog, which has conducted similar Black Friday studies for several years, noted that this was the first time every single deal analysed had been available at the same price or lower at other points throughout the year. Approximately 40% of the deals were found to be cheaper at other times.

At John Lewis, Which? also flagged a Sage Nespresso Creatista Pro coffee machine advertised as a “great deal” at £499.95, down from £699.95.

But the machine had been cheaper for 32 days in the six months leading up to Black Friday, including a price of £479.95 just four months earlier.

At Richer Sounds, a Toshiba 24WK3C63DB TV was promoted as an “inflation-busting mega deal” for £139. Yet, it had been the same price for 80 consecutive days before Black Friday.

Prior to that, it was even cheaper at £129 and had never exceeded £139 in the six months before Black Friday.

Boots claimed the Oral-B iO4 Electric Toothbrush and case was reduced to £89 from a previous price of £240. But Which? found the toothbrush had been priced at £240 for just one day in the prior 12 months, with its usual highest price being £95.

Meanwhile, at Curry’s, the Hisense 43-inch Smart 4K TV with Amazon Alexa was reduced from £429 to £249 for Black Friday.

Just 15 days later, the price dropped further to £229, and it never rose above its Black Friday price during the following six months.

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Which? said that while retailers rarely claimed to offer the absolute best prices on Black Friday, the extensive marketing and hype surrounding the sales period could easily lead shoppers to believe it was the prime time for the year’s biggest discounts.

The watchdog encouraged consumers not to feel pressured into making quick purchases and advised them to take the time to research deals thoroughly before buying.

Which? Magazine editor Harry Rose said: “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.

“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.”

What do you think about these findings? Have you ever spotted misleading deals or scored a genuine bargain on Black Friday? Share your experiences, tips and thoughts in the comments section.