Popular items are cheaper BEFORE and AFTER Black Friday – how you can avoid getting ripped off
BLACK Friday is not always the best time of year to bag the best deals after it’s been found some products sell for up to £150 less either side of the annual sales frenzy.
An expert has warned that shoppers are at risk of being “ripped off by shiny numbers” after finding that last year’s Black Friday discounts weren’t actually the cheapest offers of 2016.
Each UK household is expected spend on average £108 in the sales this month, according to stats by GoCompare, so you’ll want to make sure you’re getting the best price.
Deals website, looked into trendy items like NutriBullets, GoPros and HD TVs to find out if Black Friday deals really are as good for your wallet as they seem.
They checked the price history of the products throughout 2016 on and compared them to last year’s Black Friday deals and the results might shock you.
They found that shoppers can actually bag better bargains OUTSIDE of Black Friday.
PriceSpy.co.uk logs the history of how much something cost from over 3000 different retailers, including favourites like Argos, Amazon, eBay and the big four supermarkets.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t tell us what store gave the best deal at the time. Even so, the data is enough to show that Black Friday deals aren’t always the cheapest.
Samsung Fridge RF56J9040SR, Black Friday: £2,095, Best price: August £1,945
A popular Samsung fridge freezer was found to be almost £150 cheaper during the August Bank Holiday than it was on Black Friday.
Even though the kitchen item was still discounted during the day of sales in November at £2,095, there was a better offer on it during the August Bank Holiday almost three months before, when it cost £1,945.
GoPro Hero 5, Black Friday: £320, Best Price: December £299
They found a similar theme on the GoPro Hero 5, which was found to be £20 cheaper during the Boxing Day sales just a month after Black Friday.
In the November sales the camera for action seekers cost £320 but dropped its price to £299 in December.
LG HD TV, Black Friday: £1,199, Best price: £999.99
People who used November’s day of discounts to upgrade their TVs may be frustrated to find that the LG Ultra HD TV was actually £199 cheaper in the January sales, early this year.
In the Black Friday deals, the TV cost £1,199, but if you’d waited a few months until early 2017 then you could have picked up the same telly for £999.99.
NutriBullet Pro 900, Black Friday: £74.99, Best price: £69.99
Fitness fans hoping to get a health kick after Christmas could’ve picked up a NutriBullet Pro 900 for £5 less in the Boxing Day sales than in November, when it cost £69.99 rather than £74.99.
Canon EOS, Black Friday: £449.99, Best price: March £355
Keen photographers might want to do some research before parting with their cash because the Canon EOS was found to be £94.99 cheaper between March and July in 2016, than during the Black Friday sales last year.
KitchenAid, Black Friday: £275, Best price: October £260.59
The KitchenAid – which has been made popular over the past decade thanks to the Great British Bake Off – was actually at its cheapest in the build-up Black Friday in October.
The artisan food mixer cost £260 in October compared to £275 over Black Friday in 2016.
Money expert at LatestDeals.co.uk Tom Church is warning customers not to be “bamboozled” by the Black Friday deals.
He said: “Black Friday is an exciting but dangerous time for the consumer. You’re at risk of being ripped off by shiny numbers.
Here's how to avoid getting ripped off on Black Friday
DON'T be dazzled by the Black Friday discounts and make sure you really are getting a good deal before parting with your cash. Here's how:
- Check a product’s price history using sites like or to make sure you can’t get it at a better price another time of year.
- Write a list. Don’t get sidetracked by deals on things you don’t need or want. Trust us, your bank balance will thank you later.
- Check websites like to see if you can get a better deal elsewhere.
- If you’re shopping on Amazon, check to check the product’s price history to see if you could get a better one later if you held out. You can also set up price alerts to let you know when the cost drops.
“Marketers will do everything in their power to get you to spend. That includes making deals look bigger than they really are.”
The deals website has launched a Black Friday app aimed at helping shopper to see if they’re really getting a good deal.
The deals listed are rated and reviewed by other deal hunters to give people a chance to think twice before parting with their cash.
ALL OVER THE SHOPS When is Black Friday 2017 in the UK and which websites and shops offer the best discounts and deals?
Black Friday is a US shopping extravaganza that has been brought over to the UK over the past few years.
Traditionally, prices plummet for 24 hours but some retailers like Amazon has announced that it will be stretching the sales over 10 days.
This year, the day of discounts falls on November 24, with the following Monday being labelled Cyber Monday.
In Britain, it’s considered to be one of the biggest internet shopping days of the year, as retailers pack their websites with oodles of offers.
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