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TruMark Financial Blog
Friends in the Mall
November 22, 2019

Misleading advertising ploys to beware of this Black Friday

Don’t let money go to waste this holiday shopping season. Below is a list of misleading advertising you may encounter when hunting for deals this Black Friday.

Very limited quantities

That $200-off supersized TV looks like an incredible deal until you show up at the store on Black Friday and find it’s sold out. No deal lasts forever, but when a store that’s only been open a few hours that day claims it’s run out of an item, you can assume it only stocked a limited quantity.

When checking out the ads for Black Friday, look for an “In-Stock Guarantee” or a “One-hour In-Stock Guarantee.” This will allow you to get a rain check for a sold-out item as long as you show up on Black Friday, or in the case of the one-hour guarantee, as long as you show up within the first hour of opening.

No discount

In this ploy, retailers deceive shoppers into thinking a product is on sale. They’ll list an item in a Black Friday circular so you’ll assume it’s being offered at a discount, when it’s actually being sold at regular price. Do a quick check of an item’s standard selling price before running out to buy it on Black Friday.

Full price with a store gift card

At first glance, a regular-priced item that comes with a store gift card can seem like a fantastic deal. However, doing some research might reveal this product is being sold elsewhere for less. Also, if you’re not a regular customer at this store, you may end up spending that gift card on stuff you don’t need.

Stripped-down or downgraded versions

When shopping for computers and TVs, read up on every feature offered with the product. A common Black Friday ruse is to advertise a discounted item which offers the very minimum in features and accessories. These “add-ons” are often essential features whose lack can make the device almost useless until you buy them.

Keep these five tips in mind this holiday shopping season and you’ll avoid wasting time and money!