Most Australians believe Black Friday deals aren’t always as good as they appear and questionable promotions we spotted in 2025 back this up
We saw one retailer falsely claim to have extended its offers and another claim its sales had lasted all the way into January
Check all the information retailers provide to avoid being rushed into buying before you can conduct your own research
With the Boxing Day sales having only just wrapped up, hot on the heels of Black Friday, the last few months might have felt like a non-stop frenzy of deals, ads and promotions urging you to spend.
In the midst of sales fever, we picked out deals on products good and bad, but in the wash up, we’ve examined retailer claims and found some brands were overselling how good their offers really were.
At CHOICE we’ve seen plenty of sales and inflated ‘deals’ over the years, so here’s our tips on how to avoid getting sucked in this year.
Bigger spending, longer sales, more ads: Black Friday 2025
We spotted dubious Black Friday deals from appliance retailers Winnings and Bing Lee.
Last year’s Black Friday was another big one: according to the Commonwealth Bank, Australians spent $23.8 billion over two weeks during the sales period, which runs for most of November.
That’s $1 billion more than what the bank recorded in 2024 – a rise in popularity reflected in our own research, which in 2025 found that more consumers were planning to take advantage of what’s become Australia’s biggest shopping event.
But with the sales lasting longer and longer as more brands jump on the Black Friday trend, the flood of ads and promotions is prompting scepticism from shoppers.
When we surveyed 1009 consumers to get their thoughts on the event last year, 52% said they thought the discounts they were being offered during Black Friday weren’t always genuine.
A close look at some of the promotions we saw during the 2025 Black Friday sales suggests few of those shoppers will be changing their minds any time soon.
We uncovered dubious promotions from two major appliance retailers who had made it appear as though their Black Friday sales were lasting longer than they really were.
The “extended” sales that weren’t
Winnings falsely claimed these deals had been “extended.” Image: Winnings
Winnings Appliances joined the Black Friday fray early last year, unveiling discounts and deals on products from several brands in an email to newsletter subscribers on 1 November.
Among the offers was $500 cashback on selected ZIP HydroTaps and 10% off selected AEG appliances – the fine print at the bottom of this email noted these “early access” deals would both run until 1 December.
Fast forward a month, and Winnings subscribers received welcome news – an extended Black Friday sale!
This missive contained several new discounts, along with the same offers on ZIP and AEG products as the 1 November email.
Winnings claimed these deals were among those granted an extension, but a check of the fine print confirmed both were still set to finish on 1 December.
In other words, the email claimed these two sales had been “extended” at the last minute to a date the retailer had already said a month ago that they would end on.
The sales were “extended” at the last minute to a date the retailer had already said a month ago they would end on.
Winnings told us it wasn’t trying to mislead customers and that it takes the clarity and accuracy of its promotional communications seriously. The retailer says the “extended” claim had been applied to the ZIP and AEG deals in error.
Winnings says it reviews its internal processes in cases where there is the potential for “ambiguity” in its promotional messaging.
Bing Lee claimed in November it’s sale was about to end, but was still promoting it a month later. Image: Bing Lee
January may not be a month many associate with miracles, but that’s what we got this year from Bing Lee, by way of the sudden re-appearance of a Black Friday sale that was already meant to be over.
Rewind to 28 November last year, and the retailer was bringing sad news to its email newsletter subscribers.
With an announcement on a black background befitting the somber nature of the news, it announced the imminent end of its Black Friday sale, with “only four days remaining”.
It capped off a noble effort from the brand, which had kept discounts in place since the beginning of the month and timed its deals to end on 1 December – the day most retailers call quits on Black Friday.
Bing Lee said at the time that its sales could be extended, but when 1 December came and went without any fanfare, we considered the company’s participation in Black Friday 2025 as kaput.
Imagine our surprise, then, when the retailer sent an email out of the blue over a month later on 4 January, announcing “Black Friday ends today!”
If the sale had lasted until the new year, it would easily be the longest we’ve ever seen a retailer stretch Black Friday.
Caught off guard by this news of the sale that seemingly lived twice, we quickly searched Bing Lee’s online channels for a further glimpse of the miracle deals, but couldn’t find any.
Accepting the inevitable, we asked the company’s representatives if its 4 January announcement had been sent out by accident, but heard nothing back.
If Bing Lee’s sale had somehow lasted until the new year, it would easily be the longest we’ve ever seen a retailer stretch Black Friday – quite a milestone, considering the trend of businesses starting these sales earlier and ending them later every year.
Our observations in the case of the Winnings sale highlight how retailers may be giving away more information than consumers realise.
Next time you receive an email promoting the launch of a new sale, scroll past the big claims of grand discounts and time-limited deals, right down to the bottom to see if there’s information provided on when the sale is expected to last until.
While it is possible for discounted products to sell out early, we usually see big brands stick by these guides during major sale events.
Arm yourself with this information to pace your spending and take the time to check CHOICE reviews and compare prices from different retailers to save yourself from paying too much for a poor performing product.
Liam Kennedy is a Journalist with the Editorial and investigations team. He answers consumers' most burning questions, from which scams to be aware of and how to save money, to whether new services and products are worth using and how the latest developments in consumer news could affect them.
Prior to CHOICE, Liam worked in production in daily news radio and podcasting.
Liam has a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Technology Sydney.
Find Liam on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Liam Kennedy is a Journalist with the Editorial and investigations team. He answers consumers' most burning questions, from which scams to be aware of and how to save money, to whether new services and products are worth using and how the latest developments in consumer news could affect them.
Prior to CHOICE, Liam worked in production in daily news radio and podcasting.
Liam has a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Technology Sydney.
Find Liam on Twitter and LinkedIn.
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