Are Black Friday sales as good as you think?

There's always so much hype in the run-up to Black Friday - 28 November in case you're wondering - making it hard not to get swept up in the pre-spending frenzy.

- FINANCE AND CONSUMER EXPERT CAROLINE

After all, you might bag a bargain! I say 'might' because, without throwing a bucket of cold water over the whole idea, research shows that not all deals are as good as they seem. Which? has repeatedly found that many 'deals' are simply price yo-yo-ing or exaggerations of genuine savings.

A staggering 92% of the deals it analysed last November were the same price or cheaper at other times of the year*. If you want to navigate the sales with a steady hand - and avoid overspending in a fit of FOMO - here's what you need to do.

AVOID IMPULSE BUYS