Black Friday: beware of fake good promotions, warns UFC-Que Choisir of Eure-et-Loir

This is yet another commercial offer which is added to the discounts already existing throughout the year, such as during sales or other private sales, offered to loyalty card holders.

“Black Friday” is a concept that comes straight from the United States, which refers to the Friday following Thanksgiving, the day after the fourth Thursday of the month of November. The term appeared for the first time in a press article in 1951. It began to appear in France in the 2010s.

This commercial operation, which offers supposedly attractive bargains, tends to turn into a “black week”, or even a “black month”.
On online sales sites, in catalogs or in advertisements, it is difficult to decide between what is a real discount or a scam.

Jean-Paul Mallet, president of UFC-Que Choisir in Eure-et-Loir, warns about “black Friday” and gives advice on how not to be fooled.

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1. Is this really a discount?

What are the real and fair reductions? Between the displayed selling price and the reference price, there are sometimes gigantic differences. It is necessary to check the source of this reference price.

“Note the product reference and look for it among competitors. You will often find that the promotion displayed is nothing exceptional. If the source is not mentioned (which is illegal!): without the possibility of verifying the reality of the reference price, you cannot rely on the discount indicated. »
To attract customers, sellers use notions of unverifiable prices, in particular the comparison price, which must be the lowest charged in the last thirty days.

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2. Inflated prices

Every year, some brands inflate prices just before “Black Friday” and then display misleading “reductions”. The government website Signal conso is clear: “Merchants must indicate the initial price, the reduction percentage and the final price. The price before reduction must be that actually charged before the launch of the promotion period. »

3. Concept of emergency

“One of the problems with this commercial operation is its limited duration. There are in fact time counters on certain sites, which puts the consumer under pressure to buy quickly. In the end, we say that buyers aren't really missing out on much. »

UFC-Que Choisir, following a major survey, points out that the price differences between the end of October and the end of November are not necessarily significant. For example, on smartphones the reductions are 1.6% and for dishwashers – 0.6%.

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4. Beware of scams on the web

This is a very opportune time for online scams, as purchases are increasing. You should always check the URL of the merchant site. Imitations of famous brand sites contain URL addresses very close to the official one. Sometimes only one letter has been deleted or changed place.
If you are tempted by an advertisement, rather than clicking on the link in this ad, go directly to the brand's official website to check the veracity of the promotion announced. Finally, read the comments on a product or brand that you do not know to assess its reliability.

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5. The multiplication of operations

There is also “Cyber ​​Monday”, for online sales, the Monday following “Black Friday” and “Black week”. Which creates “a promotion tunnel, at the end of the month, at pay time and causes unnecessary overconsumption”.

According to statistics from UFC-Que Choisir, “in France, three quarters of buyers are influenced by the price drops at the end of November”. The consumer defense site also points out that 96.6% of promotions are misleading.

Claire Béguin, in partnership with Jean-Paul Mallet, president of UFC Que Choisir of Eure-et-Loir