This archive report was first published on 28 November 2019.
With Black Friday just around the corner, many of us are on the lookout for fair prices and massive discounts in our city. But have you ever stopped to think if the discounts you're seeing are genuine or just a clever ploy to maximize profits?
According to Tuko.co.ke and Jiji, the answer is often the latter. In fact, many discounts on Black Friday turn out to be fake, with sales promotion organizers and participating retailers using various dirty tricks to boost their profits.
The Most Widespread Scams on Black Friday
One of the most common tactics used by retailers is to artificially inflate the prices of goods before a sale, only to bring them back down to their original price and call it a discount. This is a clever way to make consumers think they're getting a good deal, when in reality they're not.
Another tactic used by retailers is to offer discounts on specific products, but fail to clearly advertise this. As a result, consumers may end up buying a product they don't need, just because it's on sale.
Ghost Discounts
On the other hand, some discounts on Black Friday are genuine, and consumers can save a lot of money by taking advantage of them. However, these discounts are often only applicable to specific products, and consumers may end up buying something they don't need.
Hotcakes and Golden Trash
During Black Friday, retailers often increase the prices of hot goods several times, relying on human carelessness and the desire to buy as much as possible on this day. They also use the opportunity to get rid of unwanted goods, selling them at discounted prices.
JIJI's Top Offers Board
However, not all retailers are out to scam consumers. Jiji, the biggest classified in Kenya, has created a separate webpage for goods with the most significant discounts on Black Friday. The best advantage of this board is that no human being is engaged in the selection process of which ad is good enough to be shown on the board. The ads with the hugest discounts are aggregated on the board with the help of computer algorithms, ensuring that consumers see the lowest prices for the needed category of goods being sure a retailer didn’t pay for being present on the board.
