Black Friday and sales: how the pricing really works

The short version

Black Friday (and year-round flash “sales”) aren’t a law of physics that lowers every price. They’re a marketing season: inventory, urgency psychology, reference prices, flooded comparison tabs. Some discounts are real. Others compare to a “was” price almost nobody paid. Understanding the mechanism keeps you from spending more… while feeling thrifty.

How a “−50%” price gets made

Behind the tag, several levers:

1. Reference price: the old price shown (sometimes briefly raised before the event)
2. Assortment: real deals sit next to products built for the promo
3. Bundles: a “gift” whose value is overstated
4. Extras: shipping, warranties, accessories sold separately
5. Time pressure: “limited stock” that is limited mostly in the copy

EU / France strikethrough rules (concrete)

Across the EU, the Omnibus directive (2019/2161) set a clear rule for price-reduction claims. In France it took effect on 28 May 2022 (ordonnance n° 2021-1734; Consumer Code art. L. 112-1-1). The DGCCRF regularly restates it ahead of sales seasons and Black Friday.

In practice, if a trader advertises “−40%” or shows a strikethrough “was” price:

1. They must show a prior reference price.
2. That price must be the lowest price they actually charged for that product in the 30 days before the promo — not a ghost catalogue price, not an artificial spike the day before.
3. For successive discounts, the reference generally stays the one from before the first cut in the series.
4. Display format is free (−$10, −15%, strikethrough…), but the baseline is not.
5. Breaking the rule can be treated as a misleading commercial practice under consumer law.

What it does not guarantee: that the final price is the market’s best, or that you should buy. It mainly limits “was $999, now $499” theater when almost nobody paid $999 in the prior month. Outside the EU, protections vary; never assume a strikethrough is audited. Your own price history (screenshots, wishlists, trackers) remains the most portable defense.

What consumer investigations keep finding

Groups like Which? and national enforcement bodies regularly find:

• “sales” where the final price is close to (or above) the average from prior weeks
• real cuts on some electronics / sporting goods… and mirages in other aisles
• stock steered toward harder-to-compare product references (near-identical model, different ID)

Moral: the calendar guarantees nothing. Comparison does.

A method that works

1. Track before the day
Note the price 2–4 weeks earlier (screenshot, wishlists, trackers). Without a baseline, −40% means nothing.

2. Compare off-site
Same product, exact same reference (exact product ID / barcode), elsewhere — including official refurbished.

3. Distrust the strikethrough alone
Look at history, not label theater.

4. Count total cost
Shipping, tied subscriptions (“3 months free”), consumables, support.

5. Ask the utility question
“Did I need this outside the sale?” If not, the discount often funds an impulse buy, not a saving.

Black Friday vs regulated sales

• Formal sale periods (in some countries): stricter rules, calendars, clearance framing
• Black Friday / Cyber Monday / mid-season events: commercial ops, freer rules, louder marketing
• Outlet / end-of-line: sometimes the best deals… off the viral calendar

The year’s best price often lands on a random Tuesday in March when a model clears. November mostly maximizes transaction volume. Retailers also use the season to move last-gen inventory before holiday restocks — fine if you want last-gen, annoying if the banner implied “best ever new model price.” Always match the exact model number, not the vibe of the hero image.

A simple rule

Treat Black Friday as a reminder to shop around, not as proof of a bargain. If you already decided to buy, the season can help. If you discovered the “need” because of a red banner, the banner often won — not you. Pair with how to judge reviews and deal scam red flags.

One more practical habit: keep a short list of items you actually plan to replace (phone, headphones, vacuum, winter coat). When November hits, you compare those exact product references with history in hand. Wandering the whole catalog “because it’s Black Friday” is how reference-price theater wins. A shopping list turns the season back into a tool.

Going further

• FTC — guides against deceptive pricing: US framing on misleading prices.
• European Commission — consumer rights: discount-claim rules.
• DGCCRF — price reduction claims: 30-day baseline, strikethrough rules (FR).
• DGCCRF — fake discounts: May 2022 entry into force.
• Which? — Black Friday: recurring investigations into “fake” discounts.