98% of Black Friday 'deals' aren’t the cheapest price of the year

Don't feel pressured to buy – the product will probably be the same price or less after Black Friday

Credit: Which

Which? research has found that only 2% of products in the 2022 Black Friday sales were cheaper than at other times of the year.

We analysed more than 66,000 prices in the six months before and after last Black Friday to see how their sale day prices compared. 

Here, we explain what we found and share tips on how to spot a genuine bargain.

Black Friday in numbers 

We tracked the prices of 208 products in last year's Black Friday sales at seven of the most popular tech and home retailers in the UK: Amazon, AO, Argos, Boots, John Lewis, Richer Sounds and Very. We looked at how much they cost during the six months before and six months after the day itself.

• 98% were the same price or less at other times of the year
• 45% were cheaper at other times of the year

These days, Black Friday sales often begin earlier in November and continue after the sale day itself. So we also extended our definition of 'Black Friday' to include the period from 18 November until 2 December, but we still found that 86% of products were the same price or cheaper outside of the sales period.

Of course, there are some genuinely decent deals to be had, but they're few and far between. Our experts have combed through thousands of deals and picked the ones they think really are worth considering, based on extensive pricing knowledge and lab-testing to ensure product quality.

Black Friday in numbers 

We tracked the prices of 208 products in last year's Black Friday sales at seven of the most popular tech and home retailers in the UK: Amazon, AO, Argos, Boots, John Lewis, Richer Sounds and Very. We looked at how much they cost during the six months before and six months after the day itself.

• 98% were the same price or less at other times of the year
• 45% were cheaper at other times of the year

These days, Black Friday sales often begin earlier in November and continue after the sale day itself. So we also extended our definition of 'Black Friday' to include the period from 18 November until 2 December, but we still found that 86% of products were the same price or cheaper outside of the sales period.

Of course, there are some genuinely decent deals to be had, but they're few and far between. Our experts have combed through thousands of deals and picked the ones they think really are worth considering, based on extensive pricing knowledge and lab-testing to ensure product quality.

Deals not worth the hype

Here are some of the worst deals we spotted last year:

• Apple Airpods (2nd Generation) at Argos and Currys were discounted from £139 to £119, but earlier that year they'd been cheaper (£99-£109) every day between 25 May and 9 Sep. The price only increased to £139 in September, then dropped to £119 in Black Friday week.
• The Garmin Lily Sport Edition at Amazon was on sale for £149 on Black Friday, but it had been cheaper on 58 days before, including £114.99 during Amazon Prime Day.
• The Bowers & Wilkins 603 S2 Anniversary Edition (Black) speakers were £1,299 on Black Friday at Richer Sounds, but they'd been at that price since October and had actually cost £100 less for 23 days in May and June. They dropped further, to £1,249, on 8 December.
• The Toshiba 50-inch 50UK3C63DB TV was discounted from £399 to £289 at Argos on Black Friday – a £110 saving. But by January the price had dropped even further to £279.
• Bose 700 wireless noise-cancelling over-ear headphones were £279 at AO on Black Friday (discounted from £349). But the price had already been £279 for five days at the start of November before going back up and dropping again a week before Black Friday. They were reduced to £249 in December.
• The Samsung HW-B430 2.1 sound bar with wireless subwoofer (black) was £215 at AO on Black Friday, down from £225. But it was cheaper (£175) on 35 days between August and September. It dropped to £164 in late December and was at least £40 cheaper than the Black Friday price until the end of our data collection period in May.

Retailers rarely actually claim they’re offering their best ever price on Black Friday – but you could be forgiven for feeling that’s implied, given the furore around the sales. 

• Find out more: how to check if a Black Friday deal is as good as it looks

How did individual retailers compare?

Argos

We found that 75% of products on offer on Black Friday in Argos were actually cheaper at other times of the year. This was the highest proportion of any of the retailers we looked at.  

The vast majority were TVs. These typically drop in price after new models are launched in the spring, so that could be a better time to look for bargains. One TV was £120 cheaper in March than the Black Friday price. 

Argos told us that only one product in our analysis was a Black Friday deal, while the others were part of other promotional offers. However, Which? found many of the Argos products included in the analysis had ‘Black Friday’ included in the online URL and were included in a section of the retailer’s website called ‘Black Friday deals and hot products’.

• Find out more: best Black Friday TV deals 2023

Amazon

Amazon had the second-highest percentage (69%) of products that were cheaper than their Black Friday price at other times of the year. 

It uses dynamic pricing, which means the prices are set by algorithms that take into account factors such as stock availability and demand. The result of this is that products tend to be at their cheapest outside of the Black Friday sale, because demand may be lower. 

Plus, Amazon also has its own sale day event – Amazon Prime Day – with often deep discounts and price matches against other retailers.

Amazon told us that it aims to offer great value throughout the year, through price-matching and seasonal deal events. It said that independent analyst Profitero reviewed over 11,000 products in 2022 and found that Amazon’s year-round prices are on average 13% lower than other online retailers in the UK.

• Find out more: best Amazon Black Friday deals 2023

Very, AO and Richer Sounds

At Very, AO and Richer Sounds you also have a good chance of finding a lower price outside of Black Friday – 54%, 50% and 47% of products, respectively, were cheaper in the six months before or afterward.

Very commented: 'We offer great value on a range of products across all categories throughout the year, including via regular promotional events. Black Friday is one of these events and we know our customers value the deals at this time of year.'

AO stated that Which? 's findings didn't represent the value that their Black Friday promotions provide.

Richer Sounds said that it had a disclaimer online from early November until the close of the Black Friday promotion to say that anything marked as ‘Fantastic Black Friday Value’ may have been at a lower price previously, but given the current market price, it still represented fantastic value. Where an item was marked ‘lowest price ever!’, it had never been sold for less.

It pointed to the Richer Sounds Price Charter, which sets out a commitment to be open with customers regarding prices and savings. 

• Find out more: best Currys Black Friday deals 2023

John Lewis and Currys

John Lewis launched its Black Friday sale earlier than ever in 2022, on 4 November. It said this was designed to help shoppers spread the cost of Christmas. Over a third (37%) of its products in our analysis were cheaper at other times of year. 

It told us it focuses on great offers all year round, and that some of the prices in our research were impacted by its (now retired) 'Never Knowingly Undersold' price-matching policy.

Another early deals launcher last year was Currys, with price cuts live in the first week of November. Just under a third (30%) of its deals were cheaper in the six months before or after Black Friday. 

We put our findings to Currys, but it didn’t respond.

• Find out more: best John Lewis Black Friday deals 2023

Boots

Boots said it had more than 18,000 products on offer last year, claiming it was aiming to offer the ‘most affordable Christmas yet’. And our analysis showed that just 21% of Boots products were cheaper outside of Black Friday, suggesting most of its deals were genuinely good. But products still weren’t necessarily at their cheapest-ever price. 

No item we checked at Boots was at its lowest price only on Black Friday.

Boots said: ‘Of the small number of deals reviewed by Which? these were only lower prices during a promotional period – namely our January sale, when we often offer big discounts on clearance items. We also offer a price match promise on our range of electrical beauty products.’

• Find out more: best health and beauty shops

Which products are you most likely to score a bargain on?

With 35% of people planning to shop in the Black Friday sales this year (according to our nationally representative survey of 2,039 adults in September), we’ve rounded up our top tips for getting the best deal.

It seems that you're more likely to get a good deal on some product types than others: of the products we looked at last year, there wasn't a single fridge freezer, smart TV box or tablet that was cheaper than its Black Friday price at other times of the year, meaning if you spot deals on these types of products they're well worth a look.

We also found that fewer than 30% of the washing machines, washer dryers, electric toothbrushes and hot drink makers (for example, coffee machines) we looked at were cheaper at other times of year.

Around half (47%) of those planning to shop in the Black Friday sales this year said they’d be looking for tech products, but our research shows that there’s little need to rush for the majority of tech product categories.

4 tips for shopping the Black Friday sales

Make sure you get the best deal, whatever and whenever you buy, by following our top tips:

1. Check the deal price Use a price comparison website such as PriceRunner to see how much a product has been sold for previously, and work out whether the sale price is good value. 
2. Create a wish list Some retailers such as Amazon let you set up a wish list for all the things that you want to buy, making it easier to notice when their prices drop. You can then easily click into your list to see what’s on offer.
3. List products and research them ahead of the day Every year we find  products in the sales that aren’t worth buying. In 2022 we even found products that failed our safety tests. Research what you want to buy ahead of the sale day to ensure you don’t feel pressured into buying a sub-par product.
4. Use price promises to your advantage Retailers such as Richer Sounds will match prices you've spotted elsewhere, meaning you can buy from a reputable retailer offering a good warranty but pay the lower price you’ve found on a rival site.