With major sales events like Black Friday and Amazon Prime Day increasingly frequent, UK consumers are constantly bombarded with discount offers. However, an expert from consumer champion Which? is urging shoppers to exercise caution, revealing common pitfalls that can lead to misleading purchases. Faith Strickland, a senior consumer editor at Which?, draws on a decade of experience in identifying genuine bargains, advising against trusting advertised 'was' prices or Recommended Retail Prices (RRPs) without further investigation.
Which? research has consistently shown that the advertised 'was' price on a product may not be an accurate reflection of its pre-sale cost. In a significant investigation involving 1,617 televisions, Which? discovered that 56% of these products had at least one intervening price point between the sale price and the advertised 'was' price. Crucially, some of these intervening prices were even lower than the supposed sale price, indicating that consumers might not be saving as much as they are led to believe.
Similarly, relying on the RRP as a benchmark for a good deal can be misleading. An RRP is merely a suggestion, and retailers may never have sold the product at that specific price. During a Black Friday investigation, Which? identified a Samsung heat pump tumble dryer advertised at £629.99 against an RRP of £789.99 on Amazon. However, a review of the product's price history revealed it had not been sold at £789.99 by Amazon in the preceding 12 months, highlighting how such comparisons can inflate perceived savings.
Beyond price, Ms Strickland stresses the importance of product research. A discounted price means little if the item is of poor quality or doesn't meet expectations. Which? testing has revealed instances of 'Don't Buy' products, such as low-quality headphones and televisions, being offered during sales. Consumers are encouraged to look beyond branding, as performance doesn't always correlate with price; for example, some mattresses costing £250 have outperformed those priced in the thousands in Which? tests.
To ensure a genuine bargain, consumers should utilise price tracking websites such as CamelCamelCamel or PriceSpy, which provide historical pricing data. Which? also offers its own sales coverage, detailing a product's cheapest and average prices over the past six months, and whether a current deal represents its lowest-ever price on platforms like Amazon. This proactive approach empowers shoppers to make informed decisions and avoid falling for superficial discounts.