Do prices really drop on Black Friday?
So far, for most products, no. On Sunday 15th November, 11% of the 21,649 products we're tracking at 781 UK shops were cheaper than on 15th October, by a median of 7.2%. 84% were the same price, and 5.1% had gone up.
Black Friday is Friday 27th November. We check again every 6 hours until Cyber Monday (Monday 30th November). Last checked Sunday 15th November at 13:45 UK time.
- Cheaper than on 15th October
- 11%
- median drop 7.2%
- At least 10% cheaper
- 5%
- 2.7% at least 20% cheaper
- At the lowest price we've recorded
- 8.2%
- and cheaper than on 15th October
- Dearer than on 15th October
- 5.1%
- median rise 19%
What about "sale" prices?
5,772 of these products show a "was" price, claiming a median 32% off. Only 18% of them are actually cheaper than on 15th October, and only 21% of those "was" prices had ever been charged, by our records. It's what we found in our 5th November study of 4,539 "sale" prices, too.
Day by day
The last check each day, against each product's price on 15th October.
| Day | Products | Cheaper than 15th Oct | Median drop | At lowest price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 15th Nov | 21,649 | 11% | 7.2% | 8.2% |
By department
| Department | Products | Cheaper than 15th Oct | Median drop | At least 10% cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & Computing | 606 | 17% | 11% | 9.2% |
| Beauty, Health & Personal Care | 736 | 15% | 7.6% | 7.2% |
| Pets & Pet Care | 324 | 14% | 12% | 7.7% |
| Fashion & Clothing | 3,301 | 14% | 2.8% | 5% |
| Sports, Fitness & Outdoors | 312 | 11% | 5% | 3.5% |
| Home, Furniture & DIY | 2,166 | 10% | 13% | 6.1% |
| Shoes & Footwear | 513 | 8.2% | 14% | 4.9% |
| Bags, Accessories & Jewellery | 1,647 | 7.5% | 1.5% | 1.3% |
| Office Supplies & Stationery | 179 | 6.7% | 6.8% | 3.4% |
| Gaming, Toys & Hobbies | 240 | 6.7% | 18% | 3.8% |
What Which? found
Which?, the consumer group, tracked 175 home, tech and health appliances at eight UK retailers for a year around Black Friday 2024, from May 2024 to May 2025. 83% were the same price or cheaper at least once outside the four-week sale (15th November to 12th December 2024), and none was at its cheapest only on Black Friday itself (Which?, 25th November 2025). For the 2022 sales, it found 98% of 208 products were the same price or cheaper at some point in the six months either side (Which?, 21st November 2023). Our figures measure something different: how many prices are actually lower than six weeks before, across hundreds of shops, while the sales are on.
How to check a price before you buy
- Look the product up. Our Black Friday price checker shows every UK shop's price for the same product and the lowest price we've tracked.
- Ignore the crossed-out price. Judge the price you'd pay against other shops and against what it has cost before.
- Not ready to buy? Press Watch this price on the product page and we'll email you if it drops.
How we measure it
- Records: UK shops' product feeds, published through affiliate networks. We record a price every time it changes, since June 2026.
- Products: a random sample of products in stock at UK shops on Sunday 15th November, priced in pounds at £1 or more, that we had tracked since at least 1st August and had a price for on 15th October. Up to 60 per shop, and only shops with at least 15, so a few very large catalogues don't decide the result. We check the same 21,674 products every 6 hours; one that's out of stock or gone is left out of that check.
- Cheaper or dearer means at least 1% below or above the product's price on 15th October. Changes of more than 90% down or 200% up are treated as feed errors and left out.
- At the lowest price we've recorded means cheaper than on 15th October and no higher than the lowest price in our records for that product.
- Departments: only products we've placed in a department, and departments with at least 150 of them.
- We don't name shops: the point is the pattern, and one shop's feed can be wrong.
Questions
- Do prices really drop on Black Friday?
- So far, for most products, no. On Sunday 15th November, 11% of the 21,649 products we're tracking at 781 UK shops were cheaper than on 15th October, by a median of 7.2%. 84% were the same price, and 5.1% had gone up.
- How much do prices drop on Black Friday?
- Of the products that were cheaper than on 15th October, the median drop was 7.2% on Sunday 15th November. 5% of all the products we track were at least 10% cheaper, and 2.7% at least 20% cheaper.
- Are Black Friday "was" prices real?
- 5,772 of these products show a "was" price, claiming a median 32% off. Only 18% of them are actually cheaper than on 15th October, and only 21% of those "was" prices had ever been charged, by our records.
- Is Black Friday the cheapest time to buy?
- Not reliably. Which? tracked 175 appliances at eight UK retailers for a year around Black Friday 2024: 83% were the same price or cheaper at least once outside the four-week sale, and none was at its cheapest only on Black Friday itself. Compare shops and check a product's price history before you buy.
- When is Black Friday 2026?
- Black Friday 2026 is Friday 27th November, and Cyber Monday is Monday 30th November.