MARTYN JAMES

Advice on how to beat the Black Friday blues

- Martyn James is a leading consumer rights campaigner, TV and radio broadcaster and journalist

Black Friday is upon us at the end of the month. If you've got sales fatigue, I don’t blame you.

November can seem like one unending sales binge these days. Yet millions of people will be shopping for reduced items over the next few weeks. I've been inundated with questions from readers about how to be sure if they are getting a bargain or not. So here's my guide.

How do I know if something is really on sale?

There are loads of complex rules around advertising and discounts. It's better to assume that the huge 50% discount on a new television isn't quite as good as it might appear. The same goes for warnings about low stock levels that are designed to speed you to the checkout.

Shops use an array of psychological tricks to get us purchasing before we put too much thought into whether we are getting a bargain. Fight back with a few quick checks.

Start with the manufacturer's recommended retail price (RRP).

These are usually at the top end and are often artificially high so they can be discounted.