Warning: Don't get caught by 'fake' Black Friday sales

Monday, 15 November 2021

This Black Friday is set to be a big one for Kiwis, but PriceSpy warns not to get sucked in by the sales.

New Zealanders are planning to splash out this Black Friday, a new survey suggests, but there’s a warning to make sure you’re really getting a bargain.

Despite the flash sales day originating in the US, as the Friday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday has taken off across the world, including in New Zealand.

Popularity for the day, which falls on November 26 this year, is at an all-time high in New Zealand, according to results from price comparison site PriceSpy’s new survey, with 76 per cent of Kiwis saying they’ve previously bought something on Black Friday.

Almost 38 per cent of survey respondents said they intended to spend more than $500 on Black Friday this year, up 18 per cent year-on-year.

* Five (relatively) easy ways to save money in 2021

* Post-lockdown shoppers paying higher prices, PriceSpy says

The average amount people intended to spend was $782.50, up $318 or 68 per cent on last year.

Black Friday is looming, with consumers bombed with ads for bigger better bargains to buy now. But are you being gamed?

“As a result of not being able to live life ‘normally’, some are looking to spend the money they’ve saved in lockdowns - and Black Friday sales offer the perfect opportunity to do just that,” Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, New Zealand country manager for PriceSpy said.

“But it’s important that shoppers don’t get carried away.”

While the average discount people expected was just over 34 per cent, PriceSpy found almost 10 per cent of products listed on its site increased in price in the weeks leading up to the sales event. The price then dropped on Black Friday, making the discount appear better.

“It’s a sneaky but common trick,” she said.

And when it comes to New Zealand’s most-wanted products it’s safe to say that Black Friday isn’t necessarily the best time to buy.

PriceSpy figures show that 60 per cent of the most-popular products on Black Friday 2020, which included a Nintendo Switch, Apple AirPods, and PlayStation 5, were actually cheaper to buy in the months leading up to Black Friday.

The survey found 55 per cent of respondents had little or very little trust in the discounts being offered by retailers during sales like Black Friday.

“Black Friday can offer some really decent deals if you’re savvy, but it’s important to be vigilant and do some price research on a comparison site, like PriceSpy, to make sure you’re truly getting the best deal and not falling for faux discounts,” Matinvesi-Bassett said.