Q. I love all the Black Friday sales, but I sometimes wonder if I am really getting a deal like they say. How can you tell you’re getting a real bargain on a TV or some other gizmo or they are just saying the price is discounted? — JennyLee, Reno, Nevada.
JennyLee, that is a great question. During Black Friday, retailers advertise that they are offering lower prices on everything from televisions to tissues. But sometimes the ‘deals’ are not really deals at all.
For instance, let’s say Sony introduces a 65-inch 4K TV with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $999. The key word in that phrase is ‘suggested.’ A retailer will immediately cut the price by at least $50 so it can gain an edge on the competition. You’ll see signs in the store, or at the retailer’s web site, saying the TV is $50 off MSRP.
However, the store’s rivals will likely reduce the price by $50 as well, or in the case of some, like Amazon, $51. (The extra dollar is so Amazon can say it offers the lowest price.) So is it really a ‘deal’ that you can buy it for $50 less than the MSRP? Not really.
See Amazon’s Early Black Friday Deals!
As the TV model gets older, and starts taking up shelf space needed for new sets, the initial retailer might lower it by $100 instead of $50. Now it will say the price is 10 percent off the MSRP, which sounds good but only means the store is selling a less-valued TV for a correctly reduced price.
So is that a deal? Again, not really, particularly if you can buy it for the same price at almost any electronics store.
Now let’s jump to Black Friday. Retailers might say a TV’s price has been reduced by 33 percent. But in most cases, we’re still talking about the MSRP. (The TV maker sometimes reduces the MSRP during the set’s life, but not dramatically.) The store has simply cut the price from what the company ‘suggests’ it should sell it for, although few actually sell it for that. So you are actually buying a TV for considerably less than what it was when it was first introduced.
But would you expect anything different if you were buying an older model car? Of course not. The price is lower, but it’s not really a deal.
So what are real deals?
I would put them in three categories.
One, when a retailer or two significantly lower a product’s price compared to what their rivals are charging. For instance, if Amazon and Walmart are charging $699 for a 60-inch TV and Best Buy steps in and drops it to $599, that’s a deal.
Two, if the manufacturer significantly drops the suggested retail price, allowing all retailers to drop their prices as well, that’s a deal. For example, a few weeks ago, Amazon is now selling a Fire TV streaming stick with 4K for just $24.99 as part of an early Black Friday sale. The normal price is twice as much.
Three, a product model that was never widely available is suddenly offered at a price far lower than comparable models. For instance, Walmart is now selling a Onn-branded 70-inch TV for just $549, which is considerably less than what most 70-inch sets cost. (Note: The Onn brand is a Walmart product which has received mixed reviews from consumers.)
If a Black Friday ‘deal’ does not fall in one of these three categories, I would not call it a deal. It might be interesting, and worth your time and money because the price is dramatically lower than it was several months ago.
But not a deal.
JennyLee, hope that helps. Happy viewing, and stay safe!
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