How to avoid FAKE Black Friday deals

Nov 24, 2020

Black Friday "deals" are hard to ignore on the internet. But is all as it seems? Apparently not.

It may surprise you but most Black Friday offers are not that much of a bargain, according to new research by Which?

The consumer group has concluded that 95% of promotions on popular tech, home and personal care products are available for the same price or cheaper, six months after Black Friday.

Luckily for you, Communicate Better is here to help you prevent impulse buying on a so-called "discount"...

Here are 4 ways to check if a Black Friday deal is fake:

 

1. Check the price across multiple websites

Don't just click 'Buy Now' on the first discount you see.

Be smart and do your research across multiple platforms to see if you're truly getting the best price.

 

2. Check the price history

Use intelligent tools like PriceRunner, PriceSpy and CamelCamelCamel to dig deep into your desired product's price history.

Does that particular product's price change according to the season we're in? Make sure your purchase is well-timed and at its lowest price.

 

3. Be wary of 'was' prices

Don't let a "was £100" anchor price fool you.

Retailers usually use these misleading tactics to secure sales.

Retailers also use old RRPs (recommended retail prices) as 'was' prices, to reflect the value of the item when it was first released, not at its current value.

Even leading websites like Amazon display tiny price reductions as huge discount savings.

Instead of automatically trusting anchor prices, it's better to check against other shops' prices to try to work out the true value of the item you're buying.

 

4. Always read the small print

Keep an eye out for "tiny grey font" notes or signs explaining an offer.

For example, a note may explain that the product was actually only at the higher price for a short period of time before the current offer.

Sometimes these notes are well flagged, but sometimes they're completely buried. So dig deep!

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Don't get us wrong, there are some great gems when it comes to Black Friday discounts... but make sure you're spotting the right ones amongst the fake. Good luck!

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