Artem Beliaikin/unsplash
Black Friday does not offer the bargains it claims, consumer experts warned.
消费专家警告称，“玄色星期五”的打折匆匆销名不副实。
Almost all of the ‘deals’ promoted around the event last year were actually on offer for the same price or cheaper in the six months either before or after.
去年“黑五”期间，险些所有匆匆销优惠商品的价格实在与半年前或半年后的价格相同，乃至更贵。
Remarkably, just one in 20 was actually the cheapest price on that date.
值得把稳的是，实际上只有二十分之一的商品价格在“黑五”期间是最便宜的。
Consumer group Which? has told shoppers to be wary of what they describe as the ‘Great Black Friday Swindle’ after analysing dozens of offers from Amazon, John Lewis and Currys PC World.
消费者组织Which？在剖析了亚马逊、约翰•刘易斯和Currys PC World供应的数十种优惠后，见告消费者要当心“黑五大骗局”。
swindle [ˈswɪndl]：n.诱骗，敲诈；骗局
Imported from the US, Black Friday always falls on the last Friday of November. This is because the sales are scheduled to follow the American holiday of Thanksgiving which takes place the day before.
“黑五”源自美国，一样平常是在11月的末了一个星期五，也便是美国戴德节假期后的第一天。
In Britain, the event has been a disaster for many retailers – particularly those with a high street presence – because they feel they have to slash prices or risk missing out on the first flush of festive spending.
在英国，这一活动对许多零售商来说是一场灾害，尤其是那些在商业街开店的零售商，由于他们以为必须贬价，否则就可能错过节日消费的第一波热潮。
slash prices：大幅度贬价
Before Black Friday crossed the Atlantic, shops held off advertising discounts until the last minute before Christmas.
“黑五”在英国遍及之前，商店要到圣诞节前夕才推出优惠活动。
However, the November sales event now leads to a huge spending splurge over the weekend – only to be followed by empty stores and streets through December.
然而，11月的匆匆销活动使周末消费热潮飞腾，而全体12月消费市场都很疲软。
Now research by Which? suggests the Black Friday sales themselves are not all they seem.
而如今，Which？的研究表明“黑五”的匆匆销名不副实。
freestocks.org/unsplash
Which? tracked the prices of 83 products on sale on Black Friday in 2018 for a year, from six months before the day until six months after. Researchers found just four deals – 5 percent – were cheaper on Black Friday than at other times.
Which？对2018年“黑五”打折***的83种商品的价格进行了为期一年的追踪，从“黑五”之前的6个月到之后的6个月。研究职员创造，只有四件商品的价格在“黑五”当天的售价更低，仅占全部商品的5%。
Six in ten of the products on offer, which included speakers, soundbars and kitchen appliances, were cheaper or the same price on at least one day in the six months before the event.
六成的“黑五”打折商品，个中包括扬声器、条形音箱和厨房电器，售价与“黑五”前6个月内某天的价格相同，乃至更贵。
And Which? found that three in four products were cheaper or the same price in the six months afterwards, when compared with the deals offered in two weeks around Black Friday.
Which？还创造，与“黑五”两周匆匆销期间的价格比较，四分之三的商品在“黑五”之后6个月内的价格更便宜或者相同。
Natalie Hitchins at Which? said: ‘We have repeatedly shown that “deals” touted by retailers on Black Friday are not as good as they seem. Time-limited sales can be a good opportunity to bag a bargain, but don’t fall for the pressure tactics around Black Friday. Our investigation indicates that this popular shopping event is all hype and there are few genuine discounts.’
Which？的娜塔莉·希金斯说：“我们几次再三表明，零售商吹捧的‘黑五’匆匆销并不像看上去那么好。限时匆匆销可能是捡便宜的好机会，但不要陷入‘黑五’期间的压力战术。我们的调查显示，这个受欢迎的购物活动都是炒作，险些没有真正的折扣。”
hype [haɪp]：n.大肆宣扬
英文来源：逐日邮报
翻译&编辑：yaning
来源：中国日报网
