Consumer group says beware of bogus sales over the holidays
MIAMI - A new warning about all those ads you'll see over the holidays claiming to be the best deals of the season.
A research group has accused major retailers of offering bogus sales to get you in the door.
"That's really their hook here is to make you think that they're giving you this screaming deal and so that you'll do it right away because you might miss out if you don't buy now," said Kevin Brasler, executive editor at Consumers' Checkbook.
Consumers' Checkbook is a nonprofit group that researches prices and offers advice for shoppers. It chose 25 popular items and then tracked checked prices weekly for 33 weeks at 25 stores.
"We found that overwhelmingly at 21 of those 25 retailers, they just continued to say they offered the discount week after week after week," said Brasler. "The practice has really been adopted by almost every major retailer out there."
He said there are several ways consumers can protect themselves from a bad deal. First, shop around and compare prices from other retailers. If you find another deal online, ask the store to price match. Finally, make a list and budget for everyone you're buying for, so you don't overspend.