The truth about Black Friday…

By Megan Sawh

As a bid to lure shoppers into stores to start their Christmas shopping, Black Friday – a retail-born event – is one of the most hyped shopping days of the year.

Despite its beginnings as a single day dedicated to getting your hands on some of the best deals, I’ve been receiving Black Friday notifications and offers from retailers such as Amazon and ASOS, for at least the last two weeks.

Like a lot of people, my ‘wish list’ continues to grow throughout the year and I tell myself every year not to fall for the Black Friday deals, but as soon as you see ‘30% off’ it is hard to resist!

The problem is, every year, Black Friday gets bigger and bigger, and with the deals running for much longer than one day, there is now even talk of ‘Black November’… but is there any such thing as a good deal anymore on Black Friday (or Black November, should I say)?

A recent survey from Which? revealed nine in ten Black Friday deals found last year were cheaper or the same price before the big event. The research uncovered 184 of 201 products – including a tumble dryer, smart speaker, coffee maker and TV soundbar - sold by a string of household names, cost the same or more on Black Friday than they did in the months before.

Equally confusing, not all big retailers are on board with the concept. In fact, businesses including Next and Ikea have boycotted the day, out of principle for it trumping high street trading and hurting local companies.

Of course, deals are a great way for retailers to draw in old and new customers, but sometimes less is more. Retailers should be smart with how they engage with Black Friday - genuine one-off deals are more effective and sustainable for businesses, than discounting everything that was previously available at that price two months ago.

 So, if you’re preparing for a weekend of bargain hunting, you might want to double check that price tag first.