Half of Black Friday deals are cheaper at other times of the year, according to a new investigation

Don't be fooled by the crowds this Black Friday - according to consumer reviews website Which?, half of last year's Black Friday deals in the UK weren't the best price for your pound.

An investigation by Which? of 178 deals from Black Friday 2015 found that 49% of products "on offer" were actually cheaper at other times of the year.

The website tracked the prices on 20 popular tech gadgets and home appliances on Amazon, AO, Argos, Currys and John Lewis every day for the three months before and two months after Black Friday in order to determine when the best deals occurred.

The analysis showed that around 12% of items were cheaper at some point in the three months leading up to Black Friday, while 38% were cheaper in the weeks after, and 8% were only one-day offers.

Which? also said that retailers such as AO and Currys inflated their "was" price to make deals look better - instead of using the most recent price before the item was put on offer, they found cases where the "was" price was more than six months old.

Some examples from the investigation included the following:

Hoover VTV581NC tumble dryer at Currys

On sale for £200 on Black Friday with the website stating: "When they're gone, they're gone," the tumble dryer remained at £200 until the end of January.

Samsung UE40J5100 TV at AO

While AO listed this TV for £299 on Black Friday, stating that the product 'was £499,' it was often available for £289 during November and late October.

The list goes on, with only 90 out of 178 deals tracked proving to be cheapest on Black Friday.

While the investigation only covered five retailers, it suggests that consumers should do their research before they shop, and consider holding off for a better deal once the chaos of Black Friday dies down.

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