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Black Friday deals can be worth buying, but a sale label, countdown clock or crossed-out price does not prove you are getting a bargain. In a UK study of 175 products, Which? found that 83% were cheaper or the same price at least once outside the four-week 2024 Black Friday period it tracked. That is evidence to check an offer, not proof that every Black Friday deal is bad—and the available evidence does not identify a current list of specific deals to recommend.
Why Black Friday prices can be misleading
A discount compares a price with a reference point chosen by the retailer. It does not tell you whether that reference price was typical, how long the offer lasts, or whether the same product has been cheaper elsewhere. The useful question is not “How much off?” but “Is this exact item’s total price good compared with its own price history and other sellers?”
Which? tracked 175 home, tech and health appliances sold by Amazon, AO, Argos, Boots, Currys, John Lewis, Richer Sounds and Very from May 2024 to May 2025. It defined the Black Friday sales period as 15 November to 12 December 2024. In that sample, 83% of products were cheaper or the same price at least once outside the period, and none was at its lowest price on Black Friday itself. The result applies to those products, retailers and dates; it cannot establish what every retailer or current offer will do. Which?’s 2025 analysis gives the study details.
The retailer figures also varied, so the overall finding should not be turned into a simple ranking of where to shop. They describe only the products Which? analyzed:
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| Retailer | Finding in Which?’s sample |
|---|---|
| John Lewis | 94% of analyzed products were the same price or cheaper at other times; 56% were cheaper. |
| Very | 93% of analyzed offers were the same price or cheaper at other times. |
| Amazon | 88% of 24 analyzed deals were cheaper or the same price outside the sales period; 63% were cheaper. Amazon said its event had hundreds of thousands of UK deals. |
| AO | 85% of analyzed offers were the same price or better at other times. |
| Richer Sounds | 55% of analyzed products were cheaper or the same price at other times—the lowest share among the retailers compared. |
These sample results do not show that every offer at one retailer is good or bad. In particular, the Amazon finding is based on 24 products, not the retailer’s full event.
What a price history can reveal
A historical price chart can show whether an advertised deal is unusually low, merely a familiar price, or higher than an earlier offer. Which? pointed shoppers to price-history services such as PriceRunner and CamelCamelCamel for Amazon listings. Check the exact model and seller: charts for a product category or a similar model may not match the item in your basket.
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One UK example in Which?’s study illustrates why a single “was” price can be a poor guide. A Samsung Jet Bot robot vacuum cleaner was £350 at John Lewis on Black Friday in the period analyzed, but had been £299 for 29 days in May and June 2024. It later reached £500 during the first week of October after spending 35 days at £399 in August and September. This is a historical price path, not a current offer or buying recommendation; the cited passage does not specify an exact model.
Two other examples in the same UK study show that prices can move differently by product. A Samsung Series 5 WW90CGC04DTH washing machine was £399 on Black Friday, but had been the same price or lower on 108 occasions before and 115 after, with a later low of £369. A Samsung QE55QN90DATXXU television was £1,039 on Black Friday, then under £1,000 in mid-January and as low as £759. Those are historical observations from the study, not promises that the prices will recur.
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- Identify the exact item. Match the model number and key specifications, not just the brand or product type. A similar-looking older generation may have a different feature set or price history.
- Check the price history. Look beyond the advertised “was” price and use a meaningful span of history. A current price matching an earlier low may still be worthwhile if it meets your budget, but a percentage discount alone cannot tell you that.
- Compare the full cost across sellers. Include delivery and any membership requirement, and make sure each listing is for the same model. The lowest headline price may depend on conditions that change the total.
- Read the exclusions and timing terms. Confirm what products are included and when the promotion actually ends. A countdown or “sitewide” claim is not a substitute for checking the terms.
- Decide what you would pay before the urgency kicks in. A deal is more defensible when it is for something you already planned to buy and the total price is one you consider worthwhile. Do not let a timer or a large percentage off make that decision for you.
Why sale claims deserve a closer look
The issue is not limited to whether a discount beats a product’s past price. Advertising can also create pressure or obscure the conditions. In its 2025 sweep, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said around half of 50 retailers it reviewed made concerning Black Friday advertising claims. It described examples of potentially misleading countdown timers and prominent sitewide claims paired with less prominent exclusions. This is an Australian regulator’s finding about advertising practices, not a UK price comparison or a conclusion about every retailer. The ACCC’s release explains the findings.
For a real offer, check whether the timer reflects the actual end of the promotion and whether exclusions are easy to find. If the terms are unclear, treat that uncertainty as part of the decision rather than assuming the headline applies to everything.
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Buy now or wait?
There is no universal answer in the evidence: the Which? study found that many sampled products were the same price or cheaper outside its Black Friday window, but it did not show that every offer will recur or that waiting will always save money. Decide based on the exact product’s history, the total price available now, and how soon you need it. If the current price fits your budget and your own threshold for a worthwhile purchase, a discount can still be useful even if it is not the lowest price ever recorded. If the price looks ordinary or the offer’s conditions are unclear, the sale label is not a reason on its own to rush.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
