Is that Black Friday deal real? Last year 83% of 'deals' were matched or beaten

Black Friday is on Friday 27 November, and plenty of shops are already running "Black Friday" prices. The question is whether they're any lower than usual. The best evidence comes from Which?, which tracked 175 home, tech and health appliances on offer for Black Friday 2024 at eight big retailers for a full year. It found that 83% were the same price or cheaper at least once outside the four-week sales period, and that none of them was at its cheapest price of the year on Black Friday itself.

That doesn't mean every deal is fake. It means a sale sticker on its own tells you very little. Here's how to check.

At a glance

• 83% of products Which? tracked were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year, and 42% were cheaper at least once.
• 35% were cheaper after the sales period, which ended on 12 December, so waiting doesn't always mean missing out.
• No deal was at its lowest price of the year on Black Friday 2024.
• Free tools such as PriceSpy and PriceRunner show a product's price history in seconds.

What Which? found, shop by shop

Which? compared Black Friday sales-period prices (15 November to 12 December 2024) with the same products' prices from May 2024 to May 2025, at Amazon, AO, Argos, Boots, Currys, John Lewis, Richer Sounds and Very. The share of deals that were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year was:

• John Lewis: 94%, with 56% cheaper at other times.
• Very: 93%.
• Amazon: 88%, with 63% cheaper at other times.
• AO: 85%.
• Argos: 79%.
• Richer Sounds: 55%, the best of the eight.

Currys kept its 2024 promise that none of its Black Friday deals had been cheaper in the previous six months. But Which? found all the Currys products it analysed were the same price or cheaper in the six months after.

A worked example: the £500 robot vacuum

One Which? example shows how a "was" price can mislead. A Samsung Jet Bot robot vacuum cleaner was £350 at John Lewis on Black Friday 2024, advertised as reduced from £500. But it had only been £500 since the first week of October. It was £399 for 35 days in August and September, and £299 for 29 days in May and June 2024.

• The sale sticker suggested a saving of £150.
• Against the £399 it sold for in late summer, the real saving was £49.
• Against the summer price of £299, a Black Friday buyer paid £51 more.

Which? found the same pattern with recommended retail prices. At Boots, an Oral-B Vitality Pro electric toothbrush was advertised as "save £25, RRP £50", but it had been priced at £50 on only 13 days in the six months before the sale.

How to check a price history

PriceSpy shows a price history graph on each product page, with the lowest price of the day across the shops it tracks. PriceSpy says shops sometimes raise and lower prices just before a campaign "to give the impression that their offers are extra good", and the graph makes that easy to spot. One catch: PriceSpy says it excludes Amazon's prices, under the terms of Amazon's affiliate programme.

PriceRunner also compares prices across UK shops, and Which? suggests it for checking a product's price history.

camelcamelcamel covers Amazon only, and Which? suggests it for checking Amazon prices.

Wish lists help too. Amazon and John Lewis both let you save products to a list, which makes price drops easier to notice.

Price promises worth knowing about

Some shops promise to refund the difference if a price drops, which takes the pressure off buying on the day. Samsung says that if you find an item bought from samsung.com cheaper online at selected retailers within 7 days of buying, it will return the difference, as long as the item is identical and brand new. Which? noted last year that John Lewis price matches 25 retailers, Richer Sounds will beat a lower price found within 14 days by up to £100, and Argos ran a Black Friday Price Promise. Terms change from year to year, so read this year's before relying on one.

What to do now

1. Make a list of what you actually need, with the exact model numbers.
2. Look up each item's price history today and write down its lowest price in the last six months.
3. Set price alerts on PriceSpy or PriceRunner, so you're told when the price falls.
4. Ignore countdown timers and "was" prices. Compare only against the price history.
5. Don't rush on the day. Which? found most deals were matched or beaten at other times of the year.
6. Pay by credit card for items over £100, if you can clear the bill, for section 75 protection.

Questions

Is a misleading "was" price illegal? It can be. A reference price that was never really charged can be a misleading action under consumer law, and you may be able to get money back. Our guide to fake 'was' prices and your rights explains how.

Is there newer research? The latest Which? study we could find was published on 25 November 2025 and covers the 2024 sales, with prices tracked to May 2025. Which? said that research showed "once again" that you needn't rush to buy on Black Friday.

Are some shops more honest than others? In Which?'s study, Richer Sounds had the lowest share of deals matched or beaten at other times, at 55%, and Currys had no deals that had been cheaper in the six months before. But no shop was perfect, so check every price.

What about Amazon? Amazon told Which? it offers value all year through price matching. Which? found 88% of its Black Friday deals were the same price or cheaper outside the sales period. Use camelcamelcamel or your Amazon wish list to see its price history.

Ways to save

If you've checked the history and the price is right, shopping through our Amazon or Samsung pages costs you nothing extra. Samsung also has £50 off orders over £500 paid with PayPal until 1 December 2026. For what to look for in a new TV or laptop, see our guide to Black Friday TVs.

When you shop through Voucher Magpie, part of the commission the shop pays us goes to the charity or club you pick. You pay the same price.

Sources: Which? press release, 25 Nov 2025, Which?, are the Black Friday sales worth the hype?, read 8 Nov 2026, PriceSpy, price history, 8 Nov 2026, PriceSpy, Black Friday 2026, 8 Nov 2026, Samsung UK, offers and Price Promise, 8 Nov 2026, Samsung UK, PayPal offer terms, 8 Nov 2026

Ad: affiliate links. The codes and deals below link to the stores, and we may earn a commission if you buy, at no cost to you. How we make money.