Only one in 20 deals available on Black Friday are actually cheapest on that date, a new Which? investigation has found.
The group is urging shoppers to do their research before buying after it discovered nearly all Black Friday deals are cheaper or available for the same price at other times of the year.
Which? looked at deals from retailers including Currys PC World, Amazon and John Lewis and found just four products that were cheaper on Black Friday than at other times of the year.
Six in 10 of the products on offer, which included speakers, soundbars and kitchen appliances, were cheaper or the same price on at least one day in the six months before the annual sales event in November last year.
When looking at the two-week period surrounding Black Friday itself – including sales prices in the week before and after – it was discovered that three-quarters (74%) of products were cheaper or the same price in the six months after.
The investigation found that the Samsung HW-MS650 soundbar was £299 at Currys PC World on Black Friday but within a month the price dropped by £49 for at least five days. It was also up for grabs for £279.97 at least 13 times in the six months after Black Friday.
At John Lewis the De'Longhi Autentica Cappucino Bean-to-Cup coffee machine was priced at £399 on Black Friday. It was cheaper on at least 64 days in the six months after, including being priced at £368 on at least 35 occasions.
Meanwhile the Amazon Echo (second generation smart speaker with Alexa in charcoal fabric) was on offer at £54.99 on Amazon but it was cheaper on at least 13 occasions before Black Friday.
Which? did not find evidence that any of the retailers were breaking the law.
However it's urging shoppers not to get carried away by the hype of Black Friday sales and to do their research on every product.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “We have repeatedly shown that ‘deals’ touted by retailers on Black Friday are not as good as they seem.
"Time-limited sales can be a good opportunity to bag a bargain but don’t fall for the pressure tactics around Black Friday.
"Our investigation indicates that this popular shopping event is all hype and there are few genuine discounts.”
