Since it was gleefully adopted by the UK seven years ago, the name Black Friday has been synonymous with amazing, money-saving deals.
It is the day when, for a glorious 24 hours of plummeting prices and discounts, the consumer appears to come out on top — and, this year, it’s at the end of this week.
Originally an American concept, Black Friday falls the day after their Thanksgiving holiday and marks the start of the Christmas shopping season.
In Britain, it’s simply seen as a good excuse to go bargain hunting — and deals are starting earlier than ever this year.
With many shops already advertising their Black Friday offers, we’re expected to splash out £10 billion before this week is out.
But in this frenzy of spending are you really getting a good deal? In many cases, it would appear not.
A year-long investigation by consumer experts Which? has found that an astonishing six out of ten of last year’s ‘deals’ were for products that were, in fact, cheaper or the same price at other times of the year.
The research tracked the prices of 35 of the most popular technology, home and personal care products on sale on Black Friday 2016, but the results throw the entire validity of the Black Friday ‘deal’ into question.
Richard Headland, editor-in-chief of Which? Magazine, says: ‘From a consumer point of view, it’s obviously very frustrating.
The one day on which you assume you’re getting the best deal ever is that last Friday in November.
‘We think it’s misleading on the part of the retailers, who are happy to hype up the size of Black Friday discounts.
‘Retailers disagree, though. They argue that just because a product is included in a Black Friday sale, it doesn’t stop them discounting it at other times of year, too. That’s true, but it’s also a tacit acceptance that there may be better times to shop for a bargain.’
Who are the culprits?
Some of the worst offenders were some of our top retailers and the deals make sorry reading.
There was the Neff Slide and Hide oven from Currys/PC World. It sounded like a good deal at £494.99, particularly as the retailer’s adverts claimed it had been priced at £599.99 throughout September and most of October.
But the oven was actually cheaper than the Black Friday price for at least 113 other days of the year. It cost £449.99 — £45 cheaper — just three weeks later.
A Samsung 55-inch Smart 4K Ultra HD curved TV was advertised in Currys/PC World as ‘Save £400, now £849’, but was £50 cheaper at least 29 times in December, January and April, the same price at least seven times in April, and £79 cheaper at least 18 times in May.
There were similar anomalies with the Fitbit Blaze, a Samsung Ecobubble 8kg washing machine, and an HP Envy 4524 all-in-one wireless inkjet printer.
The DeLonghi bean-to-cup coffee machine looked like a bargain last Black Friday at £349 in Currys/PC World — a huge saving on the £729.99 that the retailer’s advertising stated it had been for most of September and October.
However, Which? data showed that it was priced at £579.99 for nearly three weeks when the ad claimed it was selling at £729.99. Plus, it remained at the Black Friday price for almost all of December.
They also slipped up with a Braun 3040s Series 3 electric shaver and Sony MDR-ZX770AP on-ear headphones, among other items. An Oral B electric toothbrush from Amazon was advertised as ‘save 26 per cent — was £40.49, now £29.99’.
It sounded like a good offer, until you realise it was £5 cheaper on at least two days in July.
You may feel that this casts a bit of a cloud over the whole Black Friday experience. The build-up has already been diluted by the fact that so many shops have been discounting goods all month.
There are also suggestions that UK discounts aren’t as high as those in other countries.
While online prices here were cut by an average of 12 per cent last year, according to UK retail strategy expert Jamie Merrick, of Salesforce Commerce Cloud, they were down a whopping 29 per cent in the U.S., and 20 and 23 per cent in Germany and France respectively.
However, it seems that 31 per cent of households are planning on getting involved, and there are predictions that £1.74 million will be spent online every minute of the day itself, £3 billion will be spent over the four days from Friday to Monday and more than £10 billion during the week.
Commerce consultancy Salmon expects there will be £20 billion-worth of online sales in November, overtaking December sales — which, for retailers at least, is good news.
Revealed, the bogus offers where those ‘savings’ just didn’t add up
Currys/PC World — Eight deals were cheaper or the same price after Black Friday:
The Samsung 55-inch Smart 4k Ultra HD HDR curved TV KU6670 was advertised as ‘Save £400’ now £849 (was £1,249 from May 11, 2016 to June 22) but was £50 cheaper at least 29 times in December, January and April, the same price at least seven times in April and £79 cheaper at least 18 times in May.
The DeLonghi Magnifica bean-to-cup coffee machine was advertised at £349, ‘Save £380’ (was £729.99 from Sept 6 to Oct 10, 2016) but was the same price at least 28 times in December. Indeed, Which? price research shows it was actually £579.99 from Sept 6 to Sept 24.
The Samsung wireless soundbar and subwoofer HW-K430 was advertised as ‘Save £150, now £129.99’ (was £279.99 from Sept 28-Oct 31). It was then the same price at least 18 times in Dec and Jan.
The Fitbit Flex activity and sleep wristband (in black, slate or pink) was advertised at £39.99 ‘Save £40’ (was £79.99 from Oct 20 to Nov 12). But it was £2 cheaper at least six times at the beginning of Dec.
Beats Solo 2 wireless black headphones (also in yellow) were advertised at £169. But they were cheaper by £19 for at least two days in Feb and the same price for at least two days at the beginning of Dec.
The HP Envy 4524 all-in-one wireless inkjet printer was advertised at £35. But it was the same price at least three times after Black Friday in late December 2016 and early January 2017.
The Samsung Ecobubble 8kg washing machine WF80F5E2W4X was advertised at £349 but was the same price at least twice at the end of December.
Three deals were cheaper or the same price before and after Black Friday:
The Neff Slide and Hide oven was cheaper than the Black Friday price for at least 113 days of the year. It was advertised on Black Friday at £494.99 — 10 pc off the marked price of £549.99 (was £599.99 from Sep 1 to Oct 18. The lowest price over the year was £419, which it was at least 33 times in April and May. It was £449.99 at least 49 times from mid-Dec to Feb.
The Samsung 49-inch Smart 4k Ultra HD HDR curved TV KU6670 was advertised as ‘Save £250’ now £699 (it was £949 from May 11 to June 22). But it was also £699 at least 18 times before Black Friday in August and September. It was also £50 cheaper at least 29 times afterwards in December, January and April.
The Fitbit Blaze was advertised as ‘Save £20’ was £159.99, now £139.99 (it was £159.99 from March 1 to Nov 15). But it was £10 cheaper at least nine times in January, £7 cheaper for the rest of the Black Friday sale period (other than Black Friday itself), and the same price 124 times between October and May.
Argos — these deals were cheaper or the same price after Black Friday:
Beats by Dre PowerBeats2 wireless sports headphones (black) were advertised at £99.99 with the line ‘Save £30 — our lowest price ever’. But if you waited just three weeks, until Dec 17, they were £10 cheaper, as well as on at least 13 other days at the end of December.
The Dyson V6 Fluffy cordless vacuum cleaner was advertised at £229.99 but was the same price at least four days at the end of December.
The Philips Viva Air Fryer with rapid air technology was advertised at £69.99 but was the same price at least 20 times afterwards in December and January.
The Gtech AR02 AirRam filter bagless upright vacuum cleaner was advertised at £149.99 but was the same price on at least one occasion in early January.
The Nutri Ninja BL450 blender with pulse technology (silver) was advertised at £44.99 but was £5 cheaper at least 22 times in April and May.
Three deals were cheaper or the same price before and after Black Friday:
The LG UHD TV 4k LG49UH650V 49-inch UHD4k Web OS Smart LED TV was advertised as ‘£499 — Our lowest price’ but it was £20 cheaper at least seven times at the end of Dec, £4 cheaper at least 11 times in early Dec, and the same price at least 17 times between Nov and Jan.
The Braun 3040s Series 3 electric shaver was advertised at £39.99 but was the same price at least nine times in June and July, and between £4 and £5 cheaper at least five times in December.
Sony MDR-ZX770AP on-ear headphones (black) were advertised as £34.99 but were the same price for at least six days in early November 2016 and at least 16 times in December.
How to spot a true bargain
How do you avoid getting it wrong? Richard Headland, editor-in-chief of Which? Magazine, has some tips …
DO YOUR RESEARCH
Be focused. Identify which products you want to look for and get a feel for prices. You can use Which? to look up product reviews and find out current and historical prices at a range of popular retailers, or websites such as CamelCamelCamel for Amazon price history. Compare what looks like a good Black Friday deal with other retailers. Don’t be swayed by a claimed ‘saving’.
WATCH THE HYPE
We’re easily taken in by bright signs proclaiming ‘Was £100, now £50’, but these may not be true. By law, a product has to have been on offer at the higher price for 28 days before a discount is offered, but this isn’t always the case. As long as there is a note explaining the offer, shops get away with it.
KEEP YOUR COOL
You are the target of aggressive marketing — so stay cool and calm. More than ever, it’s clear that it’s not just a day of discounts, so if you’re not convinced, then hold back.
BEWARE THE RRP
Be suspicious of RRP prices (recommended retail price). Officially, the manufacturer isn’t allowed to set the price of a product. In reality, there is collaboration, so that a manufacturer will sell at a discount at the same time as an independent retailer. Apple is a good example of this. Having said that, you can still have a look at the RRP on the manufacturer’s website, to see whether a retailer is being honest.
PRICE PROMISES
Try to buy from retailers with a price promise — those who’ll refund the difference if you find a better deal on the same product elsewhere, or if the price drops later.
COUNT IN DELIVERY
Look at delivery costs in advance. In a Which? survey, four in ten people said paying for postage and packing was an irritating part of online shopping. Some retailers offer a buy online and pick up later service, which means you don’t have to go near the shops on the day itself.
PRODUCT REVIEWS
Check out reviews. In some cases, a discount on a product will be there for a good reason and shops might struggle to give them away.
END
ORIGIN OF BLACK FRIDAY AS CELEBRATED THE WORLD OVER … Source Wikipedia
Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States (the fourth Thursday of November). Since 1952, it has been regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the U.S., and most major retailers open very early (and more recently during overnight hours) and offer promotional sales. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but California and some other states observe “The Day After Thanksgiving” as a holiday for state government employees, sometimes in lieu of another federal holiday such as Columbus Day. Many non-retail employees and schools have both Thanksgiving and the following Friday off, which, along with the following regular weekend, makes it a four-day weekend, thereby increasing the number of potential shoppers. It has routinely been the busiest shopping day of the year since 2005, although news reports, which at that time were inaccurate, have described it as the busiest shopping day of the year for a much longer period of time. Similar stories resurface year upon year at this time, portraying hysteria and shortage of stock, creating a state of positive feedback. In 2014, spending volume on Black Friday fell for the first time since the 2008 recession. $50.9 billion was spent during the 4-day Black Friday weekend, down 11% from the previous year. However, the U.S. economy was not in a recession. Christmas creep has been cited as a factor in the diminishing importance of Black Friday, as many retailers the world over now spread out their promotions over the entire months of November and December rather than concentrate them on a single shopping day or weekend. The earliest evidence of the phrase Black Friday applied to the day after Thanksgiving in a shopping context suggests that the term originated in Philadelphia, where it was used to describe the heavy and disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic that would occur on the day after Thanksgiving. This usage dates to at least 1961. More than twenty years later, as the phrase became more widespread, a popular explanation became that this day represented the point in the year when retailers begin to turn a profit, thus going from being “in the red” to being “in the black”. For many years, it was common for retailers to open at 6:00 a.m., but in the late 2000s many had crept to 5:00 or 4:00. This was taken to a new extreme in 2011, when several retailers (including Target, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Best Buy, and Bealls) opened at midnight for the first time. In 2012, Walmart and several other retailers announced that they would open most of their stores at 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, prompting
3
calls for a walkout among some workers. In 2014, stores such as JCPenney, Best Buy, and Radio Shack opened at 5:00 PM on Thanksgiving Day while stores such as Target, Walmart, Belk, and Sears opened at 6:00 PM on Thanksgiving Day. Three states, Rhode Island, Maine, and Massachusetts, prohibit large supermarkets, big box stores, and department stores from opening on Thanksgiving, due to what critics refer to as blue laws. The Massachusetts ban on forcing employees to work on major holidays is not a religion-driven “blue law” but part of the state’s Common Day of Rest Law. A bill to allow stores to open on Thanksgiving Day was the subject of a public hearing on July 8, 2017. There have been reports of violence occurring between shoppers on Black Friday. Since 2006, there have been 7 reported deaths and 98 injuries throughout the United States. It is common for prospective shoppers to camp out over the Thanksgiving holiday in an effort to secure a place in front of the line and thus a better chance at getting desired items. This poses a significant safety risk, such as the use of propane and generators in the most elaborate cases, and in general, the blocking of emergency access and fire lanes, causing at least one city to ban the practice. Enough of the story that surrounds the birth of BLACK FRIDAY. For obvious reason(s), Nigeria is not left out of the Celebration. You notice of late sudden uproar and what seems like an aggressive promotion and marketing of ads in the social media to mark the Black Friday. The likes of JUMIA, KONGA, JIJING and Global Impact Online Marketing to mention but a few are in fierce competition to corner as many Buyers as possible. I learnt some folks have been setting aside a chunk of their earnings since the beginning of the year in order to take advantage of the insane discounts on various items that were hitherto beyond reach. Smart guys you would say! I think it is essential and economically wise to participate in the sales sales sales and shopping spree that cut across board! Don’t be left out since it comes but once a year. Meanwhile, some links are put up here to your delight, convenience and shopping experience. Browse and Surf the entire length and breadth of the leading Online Stores in Nigeria and enjoy what I call the INSANE DISCOUNTS IN THE YEAR. You deserve only the best prices…nothing less! Get it right HERE. Do enjoy it!
JUMIA KONGA