Major UK stores caught in Black Friday pricing scheme investigation
Which? research shows popular retailers using questionable pricing tactics during Black Friday sales. Investigation reveals most discounts were available at other times throughout the year
British shoppers face tricky-deals during this years Black-Friday sales according to a new study. Which? consumer group found that many so-called discounts dont match their marketing claims
The department store John Lewis with its well-known price matching promise came under fire for price manipulation: a high-end Nespresso machine listed at £499.95 (marked down from £699.95) was actually cheaper for over a month before the sale and cost just £479.95 last summer
Black-Friday‚ which started as US post-thanksgiving tradition has become a major shopping event in Britain. Last year UK customers spent about £13.3bn during the sale period; however the research shows that nine out of ten deals werent real savings
Here are the main issues found in the investigation:
- Most higher “was“ prices stayed active less than half the year
- Several items had fake original prices
- Many products became cheaper after Black-Friday
- Some deals were available multiple times throughout the year
Consumer expert Martyn James points to regulation problems — “theres a million and one different agencies dealing with this; but no ones enforcing it“. Meanwhile Currys responded by saying they changed their approach: implementing new standards after last years findings
We want retailers to drop the sneaky pricing tactics so consumers are not misled about the deals on offer
A John Lewis rep defended their practices saying they offer good deals year-round and their price-matching system (which compares prices with 25 other shops) helps customers get fair prices
