November 27, 2023
The video detailed a Target retail store showing the regular price for a Smart TV as a Black Friday discount.
This year’s Black Friday looked to be less beneficial for the frequent shopper than past Black Fridays. A viral TikTok has shown that some deals are not money-saving at all.
The video, which garnered over 3.3 million likes since its release on Nov. 25, showed that a product listed under “Black Friday Deals” at Target had the same regular marked price underneath the new sign. What a shopper thought was a good deal for a Samsung 75″ Smart TV, going for $649.99 at the retailer, was actually the original price.
The user who posted the footage, Dejay Downey, captioned the post as “[Deals] look great this year.”
#deals look great this year
This marketing tactic was especially misleading given it listed its first price-point at $729.99. Commenters were shocked at the scam, but one, named Brandon Saunders, also revealed that he has seen Black Friday deals hike up the price of certain goods.
“Black Friday deals used to be SO GOOD,” shared another user named Kirsten Elizabeth. “Now I don’t even bother. Even online, they raise the price, to ‘drop it.’”
With consumers catching on to the marketing strategy to boost profits while having buyers believe they are actually getting a deal on highly-coveted items, Black Friday is becoming less viable for everyday shoppers. According to Fortune, sales from the Nov. 24 shopping day have decreased from past years, as more significant discounts are needed to push consumers to spend their cash. With a gap in discount realities versus expectations, the lack of in-person sales also equates to a jump in online purchases, as well as venturing out to brick-and-mortar establishments only after the biggest shopping day of the year.
With additional concerns, including high interest rates and inflation, shoppers are thinking twice about the products they are purchasing, and whether or not they can get it for cheaper elsewhere and at a later date.
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