What a deal! Or is it? Don't get played on Black Friday. Here's how.
As Americans gearing up for a year-end shopping spree, they are bombarded by flashy sales, markdowns and doorbusters. But if that Black Friday or Cyber Monday deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Gaz Selman, a freelance web developer from Dearborn, Michigan, started tracking the price of a $299 monitor in October. In early November, the price went up to $379. This week, he got an email for an early Black Friday deal marked down to the original price of $299.
Signs advertising Black Friday deals are displayed in a shop window in York, England.
He had observed this phenomenon before. Small kitchen appliances like air fryers priced at $99 throughout the year until November when the list price suddenly leaps to $149 just to advertise a "door buster" price of $99.
"Consumers think they’ve saved $50 but they’re actually paying the market rate," Selman said.
His advice? Don't get fooled by "price anchoring," a common retail strategy to set a high “anchor” price that makes the regular retail price look like a bargain, he said.
"Ignore the 'was' price. The red slash-through price is marketing, not reality."
Trick or treat? How retailers fool you
Retailers often mark up prices ahead of tentpole events like Black Friday then slash them to trick shoppers into thinking they’re saving money when they’re not. The goal, according to the nonprofit advocacy organization Consumers’ Checkbook, is hoodwinking shoppers into thinking they got such a bargain that they can afford to spend even more money.
Consumers’ Checkbook researchers spent six months tracking prices at 25 major retailers, buying power tools at Home Depot, clothing and housewares at Kohl’s and big-ticket electronics at Best Buy.
The investigation found that nearly all retailers artificially inflate prices to mislead shoppers. The “regular” or “list” prices are rarely what anyone pays, with most discounts being available more than half the time. Only Apple, Costco and Dell consistently offered legitimate discounts, according to Consumers’ Checkbook.
“Found a great Black Friday deal on Amazon, something like 40% off the original price,” one person commented on Reddit. “The ‘new’ price was the normal price at Walmart.”
“Been waiting for a good office chair sale. Went to Staples to see if anything dropped and their mesh chairs which are normally $129 regularly are now on sale for $129 down from $299.99,” said another.
How to get the best deal (for real)
Here’s how to avoid getting played.
Make sure it's a real deal. Use price-tracking tools and browser extensions such as Camelcamelcamel, Keepa, Honey, Pricegrabber and PriceRunner to monitor price fluctuations and make sure the deal is actually a deal. You can also turn to ChatGPT or other AI tools or you can use the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to research historical prices. On Amazon, you can click on “price history” to see price fluctuations.
Look up the model number. If you are buying a TV or laptop, search for the specific model number string, Selman advised. "If the only results are from this week’s Black Friday ads and there are no professional reviews from six months ago, it is likely a 'derivative model' made to look like a deal, but built to be disposable, he said.
Shop around. Prices can vary widely so track them across multiple stores. "Seeing 50% or 60% off a regular price doesn't mean anything,” said Kevin Brasler, executive editor of Consumers' Checkbook. “The only way to make sure you're getting the best deal is to shop around.”
Do your research. Read reviews and check shopping forums to spot bogus sales or to get historical pricing data. Research seasonal price fluctuations for certain items. Outdoor gear is often marked down at the end of summer and bedding in January or February.
Shop incognito online. Use the privacy feature that prevents your browser from saving your internet history, cookies and other data on your device. Regularly clear your browser history and cookies and log out from retail sites. Use a VPN.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What a deal! Or is it? Don't get played on Black Friday. Here's how.
