Are Holiday Season Discounts Worth It?

Black Friday and the larger holiday shopping season promise shoppers steep discounts and not too infrequently, the deal of their lifetimes. But in recent years, studies - especially one by Which? out of the UK - have cast doubts on whether these seasonal discounts are really all they're cracked up to be.

Numbers by Adobe for the U.S. show that at least compared to prices on October 1, some good discounts can be had this year, especially now that actual Black Friday and Cyber Monday are drawing closer. Electronics, toys and apparel items were on average around 21-24 percent cheaper on Nov. 20 than they were at the beginning of October. Adobe is expecting a peak discount of 25-35 percent for the three categories, an improvement over 2022. The study found slightly cheaper prices for toys throughout October and November, while the picture was mixed for apparel and electronics discounts. Adobe also believes that the early savings of October have been getting better. Yet, they remained below peak discounts continued to be reserved for the main event. A separate survey of Amazon prices by Wallethub showed that around two thirds of products were cheaper as part of their Black Friday deals than they were between mid-October and mid-November.

Neither study, however, answers the question whether the discounts offered ahead of the holidays are really the best to be had year-round - which is what the now infamous UK study alleges they are not. Researchers at Which? found that only 2 percent of 208 analyzed products on seven online platforms advertised as Black Friday deals in the UK were at their lowest price on Black Friday 2022 compared to other times of the year. Retailers hit back at the findings, saying that they weren't claiming the year's cheapest prices - which could also happen at different sales events or when older models were being cleared out in favor of newer ones. Reporting by NPR points out that Black Friday nevertheless makes it easier for shoppers to find deals as many are happening at the same time during the event and that consumers were likely to save money even if they were not getting the very best price of the entire year. Those who want to make sure the deal they are looking at is actually good can also use a price tracking tool online.