Black Friday shoppers warned of coax sales, misleading bargains and more

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are fast approaching and many people will be looking to bag as many bargains as possible this year.

With prices rising across the board, it is easier than ever for retailers to grip customers on the promise of amazing value for high-quality products.

While many are legitimate one-time deals, others are filled with false promises and result in people wasting money on things they don’t need or want.

So, ahead of the 2022 Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales 2022, the European Consumer Centre Ireland has published its latest Smart Spending in the Sales guide for consumers.

They’re encouraging people to ‘Ask The Right Questions’ and never to spend more than they can afford on products claiming to be at heavily discounted prices.

Which sale is best?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are not much different in nature than all the other sales throughout the year - except in terms of volumes at once.

In late November and early December, most shoppers will be buying their Christmas gifts, so some shopping needs to be done.

But if you want something specific, it’s worth taking the time to be organised about it and making sure you are getting the product you want, at the right price, which may be lower in the January sales, for example.

Black Friday keyboard button. — Black Friday shoppers warned of coax sales, misleading bargains and more

Don’t lose the head

The first and most important thing is not to get swayed by the sales spiel. We’re buying volumes at Christmas, but should not let ourselves be lured by the promise of huge discounts for what are ultimately poor-value or poor-quality products.

Especially at this time, when every cent matters and sustainability is a concern, buying superior-quality and long-durability products means that you are ultimately getting more out of your purchase long term.

Need or want?

Raising consumers’ expectations about ever-better, ever-greater discounts and creating a sense of urgency about getting their hands on very limited and heavily discounted stock increases pressure on purchasing decision-making.

It is simply how marketing works: creating a sense of irrational need. Let’s keep some perspective on what we really need and what we simply want because someone told us we need it. When consumption becomes compulsion, it’s time to step back and reconsider your choices.

The price is right

Is it? At this time of the year, we are told that these are the best discounts of the year, and some offers do appear unbeatable.

Keep in mind however that many shops refer to the recommended retail price (RRP) for the discounts they offer.

But, even before applying the Black Friday deals, often, the RRP does not correspond to the actual market price; it is higher, which means that the discount will appear more attractive.

Woman with bags after shopping — Black Friday shoppers warned of coax sales, misleading bargains and more

Be in the know

You will notice a shift from sales of products to sales of services, such as subscriptions, packages, experiences, and vouchers.

We are now in an age when many products come with a services package attached, and/or many products are now sold as a service. For instance, instead of buying a digital product, you can sign up for a digital subscription for a recurrent fee.

This is called “Product as a Service” (PaaS) and is a genuinely sound business model, but it can be used deceptively, too, when consumers end up tied into a long-term subscription with detrimental cancellation terms.

Watch out for coax deals with subscriptions and packages

Particularly if they’re advertised through free trials offers that you get by signing up to a long-term periodic subscription.

You will see these mostly online and on social media, in ads for wellness programmes (low introductory club memberships), cosmetics and healthcare (free samples and low-cost trials), dating services (open-end subscriptions), and digital services (cloud-based and streaming subscriptions).

Online subscriptions are set up by agreeing to sign up to a subscription that entails a user agreement whereby you accept recurring charges on your debit/ credit card.

Recurrent charges cannot be cancelled through the card’s issuer, so you must have the agreement cancelled by the company, which sometimes does not offer easy cancellation terms.

Another sector that heavily promotes “deals” is gaming, which happens on platforms and apps also accessed by children. Gamers of all ages should carefully consider new product deals, discounted packages and subscription offers featured in sales, particularly for free-to-play games that can only be enhanced by subsequent purchases. Parents should be particularly careful when monitoring their children’s in-app purchases and access to paid-for loot boxes.

Finally, this year more than ever, be mindful when shopping on social media, particularly when live shopping. i.e. buying directly from and during a live stream on various channels.

Whether it’s on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, or TikTok, in-app and live shopping is how younger consumers in particular like to make purchases these days.

When things go wrong

For any shopping and online shopping cross-border consumer-trader disputes, consumers resident in Ireland who have a complaint about a trader based in another European Union country, Norway, Iceland, or the United Kingdom, and who have tried to resolve the matter directly with the trader to no avail, should contact the European Consumer Centre Ireland.

All the information on cross-border online shopping consumer rights in the EU, as well as ways to obtain redress when something goes wrong, can be found on eccireland.ie.

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