You might not be saving as much as you think on holiday discounts

You might not be saving as much as you think on holiday discounts

https://www.morningbrew.com/stories/you-might-not-be-saving-on-holiday-discounts

ByMatty Merritt

November 28, 2025

Camping out for a heavily discounted flat-screen TV on Black Friday feels like the stuff of ancient legend these days. Most shopping is now done online, and deals that used to be reserved for one day have been stretched to cover the weeks before Thanksgiving—if not most of November. Plus, some “discounts” aren’t what they appear to be.

Signs can be misleading

Most items marked as “on sale” include an original or list price to show you just how much you’re saving—but retailers can artificially inflate these “original” prices or mark down goods for months to give the illusion of a sale.

Buyer beware

The Washington Post’s Geoffrey A. Fowler compared the prices of 50 items he previously purchased on Amazon (like toys, printer toner, clothes, etc.) in the six months leading up to Prime Big Deal Days in October with their prices during the sale on Oct. 8. He found that if he had waited to buy those items during Prime Big Deal Days, he would have saved just 0.6%. Some items were even more expensive during the sale.

Similarly, Consumers’ Checkbook tracked popular sale items from 25 major retailers, and 12 of those retailers (including Bass Pro Shops, Gap, Michaels, and Wayfair) listed half of their items on sale for nearly 25 weeks straight.

If you’re determined to bargain hunt

Learn how to price-track items and make sure the deal is real. And FYI: It turns out that Black Friday is actually still a pretty decent time to score a deal on a mid-tier TV.