Martin Lewis issues warning to shoppers ahead of Black Friday

Martin Lewis labelled some deals as ‘duds’ after finding they were more expensive than usual

Martin Lewis has issued a warning to Christmas shoppers this Black Friday who risk spending hundreds of pounds unnecessarily.

The Money Saving Expert warned shoppers of a high street “trick” designed to fool customers into spending more than they otherwise would.

He said shoppers could be buying a “dud” because they have been on sale for cheaper at various points this year.

Posting on X about Amazon’s Black Friday offering, he urged shoppers to “only buy what you planned to, don’t let it tempt you just because it’s cheaper”.

“Just because something is labelled as a deal, doesn’t mean it’s always a good one,” he warned.

“Don’t allow yourself to be taken in by the hype around Black Friday and be sucked into buying something you don’t need or can’t afford.

“Always do your own price comparisons to ensure you are getting the best deal possible – don’t just take a retailer’s word for it.”

Among the list of deals was an Echo Dot Mr Lewis labelled as a “decent” deal, a Chromecast he believed to be “ok” and a Kindle Paperwhite he considered to be a “dud” as it had been cheaper at several points this year.

Some of his 2.5 million followers on X, formerly known as Twitter, responded to his warnings saying they had noticed a 50 per cent increase in prices a week ago which have now been reduced by 50%.

Another wrote: “Robot vacuum cleaner was 80 quid cheaper elsewhere at a non-’Black Friday’ store. Beware.”