The Big Black Friday con – Until where can you really trust the offers you see?

Last year, buyers spent £ 7.8 billion during the Black Friday weekend, as shown by the VoucherCodes figures, and this year should be even more important.

If things go as planned, a staggering £ 13.4 million will be spent every minute this weekend, an incredible £ 8.3 billion – as the shops cut prices to the left, right and center.

There is just one problem – many of the things that people bought when selling last year could have been bought cheaper another day.

Alex Neill said, "While retailers are bombarding us with promises of exceptional rebates and limited sales over time, it's clear that not all offers are as good as they might seem."

The figures come after which? decided to look at how good the offers were.

He tracked the prices of 94 of the most popular products – including TVs, cameras and fitness followers – and compared Black Friday prices to the price of the same items for six months on both sides of the day.

Surprisingly, 87% of what they watched was cheaper at other times of the year.

"The results of our survey will disappoint many who are expecting nothing but good deals this Black Friday," said Neill.

What? discovered Black Friday

Which? searched the prices of 94 products at Currys PC World, Amazon, John Lewis and Argos.

She discovered that almost half (46%) had been sold at a lower price in the six months following Black Friday.

Looking at the two weeks surrounding Black Friday itself, Which? We found that 76% of products were cheaper or had the same price at other times of the year, while 74% could be purchased at the same price or less in the next six months.

Here are some of their conclusions:

• LG 60UJ630V, a 60 "4K TV – £ 799 from Amazon on Black Friday. £ 50 cheaper at least 62 times after Black Friday and £ 150 cheaper for at least four days in late December and early January.
• Sony Cybershot HX60B Superzoom Compact Camera – £ 189 (save £ 10) at Currys PC World on Black Friday. £ 10 cheaper at least 27 times in June and July 2017. £ 10 or less cheaper at least 43 times in the six months following Black Friday (including 33 days in December and January).
• 49 "LG 49SJ810V TV- £ 599 from Currys PC World on Black Friday. £ 20 cheaper from late December to mid-January, then again in April.
• Fitbit Alta HR Activity Tracker – £ 109.99 with a £ 10 discount from John Lewis on Black Friday (although not being labeled as a Black Friday). Cheaper at least 60 times after the day – starts with an additional discount of £ 20 in mid-December and drops to £ 39.99 for at least 21 days in March and April 2018.

What the stores said about their Black Friday offers

Of course, the fact that something is not the cheapest in the world does not mean you get ripped off.

And the search for Which? S shows that a series of objects (even though they are not in the majority) are as cheap as ever.

Amazon said Which ?: "We are offering several thousand incredible offers around Black Friday, which represents millions of pounds of savings for our customers on a wide range of products."

An Argos spokesperson said, "During Black Friday, our clients benefit from a wide range of business across a broad range of products, all at the same time. This does not exclude these products from other promotions. "

Currys PC World stated that its products were of great value throughout the year and exactly told customers when a product was available at a higher price.

"While our prices – like all retailers – can fluctuate throughout the year, we are proud to offer our price promise over our entire range – and this covers the period of Black Friday trading, "said a spokesman.

A spokesman for John Lewis said the store matches prices throughout the year thanks to its promise of Never Knowingly Undersold – so if competitors are running promotions, it suits them. The Black Friday period is no different.

How to be sure to have real bargains on Black Friday?

To help you navigate sales – and make sure you do not get trapped by a fake deal, which gave some advice to buyers.

"To close a good deal, do your research and do not get carried away by the hype when shopping at future sales," Neill said.

That's the advice of?

• Be careful not to buy impulsively – Make sure you know what kind of products you want to buy and how much you are willing to spend before you start shopping.
• Do not panic – Do not be afraid to miss a good offer because our research revealed that it would be better to wait after Black Friday anyway.
• Discover the offers in advance – Sign up for newsletters from your favorite retailers for helpful tips or check their social networking pages before sales for clues or tips on what's on offer.
• Do your research – Look at the price of previous days to make sure you really get a good deal and do not always trust the reviews you find online.