A former supermarket worker has lifted the lid on what shops don't tell customers ahead of the Black Friday sales.
Whether its double checking that the reduction in price is current, or finding a hidden code on a price tag, there are ways to find if you are saving big.
Al Baker, 48, from Hampshire, has shared his top money-saving tips on his blog, The Penny Pincher, on how to get more bang for your buck.
The dad-of-two has said that while many retailers have already unveiled their Black Friday sales - with some opting to reveal them earlier this year - there are secrets that shops don't want us to know.
The former shop assistant said that while it can be a day of huge savings for consumers, retailers are often known to charge more for goods on Black Friday deals than they have done previously.
He went on to explain that rather than just offering discounts off the standard price, some retailers will hike up the RRP weeks before the sales begin.
Bargain hunters may often be enticed after seeing a product discounted to £250 from £500, he says, but the original price may be a far cry from what it was originally.
Al added: “This is why you might see a TV in a shop advertised at £500 for a few weeks, which then magically gets half priced for a sale event – it's a bit of a ruse to get the customer excited about a deal and spend their money."
Al says that he even saw products being brought in just for the sales that had never been sold in-store before, and claims this was a ruse to get the customers excited about a deal and spend their money.
However, a retailer must have offered the product at a higher price for a minimum of 28 days in the previous six months to advertise the product at a reduced price.
The shop worker also went on to claim that there are hidden codes on price tags that can give you a hint as to whether or not you should hold out for a better deal some other time.
He said that one of the biggest pieces of information is the price itself, explaining that the last two digits of a price are the best indicator.
Al said: “If the price ends in 97p, this means that the product is discontinued and that the store is clearing out all remaining stock at a discount.
"If the products price ends in 98p, it can mean that the product is clearance and likely to be discontinued shortly.
"Meaning that it's worth hanging on for a bit longer if you can, as it's likely that the price will reduce soon and move to a lower discontinued price."
While not all shops use this system, for those that do, it is a handy guide for its staff. This is because they can look at the product and immediately know its stock status.
If a customer then asks if the store is getting more stock in soon, it can give an informed guess as to how likely that is.
This is especially the case for those stores that have staff working off commission, with Al revealing that the code on products will you decide if the salesman is being truthful before you make a hefty purchase.
In order to do this, shoppers need to check if the price tag has the letters R, A or G printed on it, which is a margin indicator.
Al said that Red means low margin, Amber means it's middle of the road, and G means it's a good margin.
Another handy tip that Al gave is to look out for any dates that are on the price tag too, saying that if the date is in the past then the product's price was likely to have been changed.
However, if the date was a long time ago, it is likely that the price might change soon.
If the date is in the future, that's when the advertised price is likely to end.
