Warning issued to Black Friday shoppers at John Lewis and Boots over ‘sneaky pricing tactics’

Several major retailers have been accused of “underhanded sales tactics” as new research from Which? revealed that many Black Friday deals aren’t all they seem.

A year-long investigation by the consumer champion has found that nine in ten Black Friday deals are cheaper or the same price at other times of the year.

Researchers looked at the pre-sale price of 227 products displayed next to the ‘new’ price during Black Friday events.

The probe also found that for six out of ten deals, the higher price had been in place less than half the time the product was available in the year before the promotion.

Black Friday has become a “hype-driven sales extravaganza,” Which? says, with shoppers spending a massive £13.3 billion last year. The sales event now usually lasts for around two weeks, between 20 November and 1 December.

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But the consumer champion says that there were even 14 ‘deals’ during this period where the higher price on display had actually not been charged at all over the previous 12 months.

It named Boots as one of the worst culprits for this, finding an example where a Remington hairdryer was on sale for £18.99, claiming to be reduced by 62 per cent from £49.99 – but the product had not been priced £49.99 in the past 12 months.

Another example from the health and beauty retailer was an Oral-B toothbrush priced at £89, reduced around 63 per cent from £240. For the 12 months prior, the product had only cost £240 for one day, otherwise the highest price was £95 – just £6 more.

A spokesperson for 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.”

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At John Lewis, Which? found an example where a Garmin smartwatch was on sale for for £294, down 30 per cent from £384, despite the product not being priced £384 at any point over theprevious 12 months.

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.”

Harry Rose, editor at Which? Magazine 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.”