photo: Jan Holoubek, PrahaIN.cz/Prodejna Datart
We draw attention to the unfair practices of food traders quite often. However, this time we headed to an electronics store to check out the traditional Black Friday sale. Compared to supermarkets, most of the discounts are real, but in many cases the savings are only tens of crowns.
Black Friday is a traditional marketing and discount event that attracts huge savings every year. While in the USA it falls fixedly on the fourth Friday of November, this year on November 29, in the Czech Republic many traders start with it as soon as November arrives. Black Friday discounts are traditionally the most popular at electronics retailers.
And that’s where we headed, specifically to one of the Prague branches of Datart. As in the case of food, electronics retailers also list the lowest price of the product for the last 30 days on price tags and any discount. We were interested in whether the announced discounts were real, and how advantageous the sale really was.
Roughly a quarter of the store had a yellow price tag
In the menu, we focused on products marked with a yellow price tag, which was intended to draw attention to a discount as part of the ongoing sale. There were quite a few such products in each category, at first glance, roughly a quarter of the store could be included in the sale. We went through the store to take a closer look at the discount offer. We were mainly interested in the most popular items with customers, which are often bought as Christmas gifts, such as televisions, laptops, phones or smart watches.
From our modest survey, the vast majority of discounts were so-called genuine. That is, the current promotional price was really a little lower than the lowest price for the last month indicated on the sign, but we were surprised by very small differences, sometimes even in the order of only tens of crowns.
We wrote
REPORT: In March of last year, one of the so-called tourist convenience stores on Műstok ended, no one had any idea then who would occupy the new space.…
The discounts are real, but they only save tens of crowns
As an example, we can cite a smart watch that cost 2,990 crowns before the event. It was then possible to buy them at a discount for 2,949 crowns. So the savings amounted to 41 crowns. Even smaller savings would be achieved by purchasing another model of smart watch with the lowest monthly price of 3,569 crowns, which were sold for 3,549 crowns during the event. Savings equal to twenty crowns.
Slightly higher savings were made in the case of more expensive products. Nevertheless, the discount rarely exceeded the threshold of one thousand crowns. Customers can save even five hundred, for example, when buying a laptop. It was reduced from the original price of 14,990 to 14,490 crowns. Datart only offered a saving of one hundred crowns in the case of another laptop, which was sold for 21,590 last month, but in the ongoing discount campaign for 21,490 crowns.
The TV department also offered similar savings. The original price of one of the offered models was 13,592, the promotional price was 13,490 crowns. Even here, the discount rarely exceeded the magical threshold of one thousand kroner and was most often around 500 kroner.
The prices were sometimes even higher
Looking in the monitor department, we noticed a price that was even one crown higher than the lowest amount in the last 30 days. In the event 2,990 crowns, before it 2,989 crowns. For example, one of the offered phones was also two crowns more expensive. The sale moved the original price of 5,995 crowns to 5,997 crowns. The laptop was also auctioned as part of the event. From the price of 15,291, the amount came to 15,990 crowns.
We asked Datart about the creation of Black Friday discounts. According to the press spokesperson Petra Psotková, the pricing policy is governed by legislative standards, the current market situation or principles of fairness towards customers. “All Black Friday discounts on merchandise are based on a comparison with actual prices that have been in effect for the past 30 days. Discounts in some cases may actually be based on lower amounts if the given product was part of one of the discount campaigns or offers. During the year, Datart implements a number of events, such as Marianne Days, Datart purchases and many others, which can lead to the fact that the resulting discount in the amount of several tens of crowns reflects the current difference compared to the last valid price,” explained Psotková.
However, according to her, Black Friday is one of the most popular customer events that opens the doors to the Christmas season. The most popular products are said to traditionally include mobile phones, headphones, smart watches or small household appliances, led by coffee machines and food processors. Black Friday will take place at all Datart stores until the end of November.
There is almost nowhere to compare
For comparison, we also wanted to visit a brick-and-mortar store of one of the other larger electronics retailers. However, we ran into a rather unexpected problem. Electronics in the center of Prague is dominated by the company Datart, which after a recent merger also took over the former Electro World stores. To come across another seller in Prague, if we leave out the smaller independent stores, is actually almost a miracle.
Companies such as Okay elektro, Expert elektro and Planeo elektro remain among the larger players. However, all of them are only minimally represented in the form of brick-and-mortar stores in Prague. Okay has a store in Prosek, Expert in Strašnice and Planeo in five peripheral areas – in Řepy, in Letňany, in Hloubětín and in Hájy. The fifth branch is a dispensary in OC Šestka.
Smarty stores can also be mentioned, for example. There are quite a few of these in various places in Prague, but unlike the ones mentioned above, their assortment is more limited. For example, they simply do not offer a washing machine or a refrigerator. It clearly follows that the sale of electronics is moving primarily to Internet waters.
The situation is similar in Plano
Therefore, we at least took a look at the online offer of the aforementioned. Almost all of them were also offering their own version of the Black Friday discount madness. To compare the benefits of discounts, we randomly selected Planeo elektro. Partly also because it has the most branches in Prague. The result did not surprise us, the discounts are actually almost identical, as in the case of Datart.
Even here, the price before the discount event is often only a few tens of crowns lower than the stated price for the last 30 days. The differences are mostly in the order of hundreds, we recorded the lowest discount in the amount of 40 crowns. In the case of more expensive items, discounts were almost negligible. For example, a laptop with an original price of 43,990 crowns was available for 42,989 crowns during the Black Friday sale. However, we did not notice that any goods would cost more before the event. However, we recognize that going through the entire e-shop offer was beyond our power.
We also asked the company Planeo elektro about the creation of discounts and the differences between prices. However, we did not receive an answer.
That’s why it’s important to watch out for discounts in electrical stores. Although price gouging is not as pronounced as in the case of groceries, not all sales are as good as the merchants promise. Although the announced Black Friday promotional prices in most cases really offered the lowest amount for the last 30 days, the savings were negligible in most cases.
Black Friday: Would You Even Notice a Discount?
Ah, Black Friday—the day when we all pretend to break our legs Couchsurfing through queues for items we didn’t need before the sales began. In Prague, after a quick jaunt to Datart—a sort of electronics Aladdin’s cave—we discovered that Black Friday’s always frugal cousin is having a party. Yes, discounts abound, but you’ve got to squint really hard to see them!
What a Deal! …Or Not?
So, here’s the scoop: this year, our intrepid researchers set out not to hunt Pokémon, but to hunt for genuine discounts in the realm of electronics. And we weren’t even after the biggest prizes—the 8K TVs, the gaming laptops that promise to make your grandma’s old rig look like a paperweight. We were there for the smart watches and fairy-tale laptops, right? Well, sort of!
Datart had a range of products dressed in eye-catching yellow tags—like little sunshines luring you into the storm of consumerism. But when we took a closer look, it turns out the discounts were almost as artificial as the leather on the Halloween costumes. We’re talking savings of tens of crowns. We’re talking a smart watch slashing its price from 2,990 crowns to a jaw-dropping 2,949 crowns. Savings of… drumroll, please… 41 crowns. You could get a coffee for that! So, here’s a little math for you—by the time you swung by for your morning espresso, you’d have *lost* more in time waiting for your macchiato than you saved on that ‘amazing’ deal!
Lights, Camera, Discounts!
Even if we plucked the high-hanging fruit, the flabbergasting truth remains—only a slight dip in price, mostly a mere pittance, occurred. The most common scenario? You’re looking at a discount flirting with the 500-crown mark, which is just enough to make you feel a sense of accomplishment right before you remember you just saved on a laptop instead of investing in a tropical vacation.
And I hate to shatter the illusion, but there were occasions when electronics got cheeky, with some items even costing more than they did mere days before Black Friday. That’s right! Want an overpriced monitor? You’ll find it going up a crown or two during “discount” season. The irony! Embrace the madness, they say, and then charge you for it!
But Wait, There’s More!
Our friends at Datart claim their prices are competitive due to ‘fairness towards customers’ and legislative standards. Legislative standards? More like standard shenanigans, if you ask me! You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that these so-called discounts often think that ‘flaunting’ is the same as ‘discounting.’ Ain’t that a classic swindle!
Pixelated Prices: Where’s the Competition?
Here’s a fun twist—ever tried to find another electronics retailer in Prague? You’re better off trying to find a needle in a haystack while blindfolded! Datart practically owns the street like a toddler in a toy store. “Oh look, you want to compare prices? Too bad, pal! The competition is moth-eaten and hiding in the suburbs.” Even when we jumped online to browse other retailers’ Black Friday offerings, we found more of the same—wretchedly minor differences in pricing, as if they had sat around a conference table, comparing notes on how to charge you just enough to make you think you should’ve bought that inflatable unicorn instead.
Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t prefer swimming in a pool of inflatables over navigating this discount trap? With prices barely dropping and sometimes even rising, it’s like the world’s weirdest game of retail musical chairs—except nobody is winning!
In Conclusion: Be Smart, Be Cautious
So, as we wrap this up, if you’re stepping out to nab those supposed deals on Black Friday, keep one thing in mind: the only thing you really stand to gain is disappointment. Sure, the discounts may be ‘real’ in the most technical of terms, but don’t expect to be doing any shopping cart victory dances—unless you’ve got some inexplicable love for counting crowns saved like it’s a competitive sport.
And remember—if all else fails, there’s always a unicorn waiting for you… somewhere in that inflatable sea of what could have been. Happy discount hunting!
photo: Jan Holoubek, PrahaIN.cz/Prodejna Datart
We frequently highlight the unfair practices employed by food traders. However, this time we focused our attention on an electronics store to evaluate the much-anticipated Black Friday sale. Unlike supermarkets, most discounts offered during this event tend to be genuine, yet in many instances, the actual savings translate to marginal amounts, often just tens of crowns.
Black Friday is a hallmark of shopping and discount events, synonymous with significant savings across retail landscapes each year. In the United States, it is observed on the fourth Friday of November, which this year falls on November 29. Conversely, in the Czech Republic, many retailers kick off the sales as early as November. Discounts associated with Black Friday are particularly favored by electronics retailers, drawing crowds eager for bargains.
Our investigative journey led us to Datart, a prominent electronics retail chain, at one of its branches in Prague. Just like in the grocery sector, electronics retailers are required to display the lowest price of each product from the previous 30 days prominently on their price tags, alongside any current discounts. Our primary interest lay in uncovering whether the discounts advertised were legitimate and how beneficial the sale was for consumers.
Roughly a quarter of the store had a yellow price tag
We specifically explored items marked with a yellow price tag, a visual cue indicating discounts as part of the ongoing Black Friday promotion. We noted a considerable number of these highlighted products in each category, estimating that roughly a quarter of the store’s inventory was included in the sale event. Our close examination focused on high-demand products that customers typically purchase as Christmas gifts—these included televisions, laptops, smartphones, and smartwatches.
According to our modestly conducted survey, the vast majority of the highlighted discounts were indeed genuine. That is to say, current promotional prices were truly lower than the lowest prices from the preceding month displayed on the tags. However, we were taken aback by the minimal differences—savings often amounted to only tens of crowns.
We wrote
REPORT: In March of last year, one of the so-called tourist convenience stores on Műstok closed its doors, and at the time, no one had any inkling who would occupy the new space.…
The discounts are real, but they only save tens of crowns
To illustrate, a particular smart watch was priced at 2,990 crowns before the sale. During the Black Friday event, it was offered at a discounted price of 2,949 crowns, yielding an insignificant savings of just 41 crowns. An alternative smart watch model showed an even smaller savings of only 20 crowns, with its lowest monthly price at 3,569 crowns, it was available for 3,549 crowns during the sale.
While slightly higher savings occurred with more expensive items, even the notable discounts rarely crossed the 1,000 crown threshold. For instance, customers could save up to 500 crowns on purchasing a laptop, with its price dropping from 14,990 to 14,490 crowns. However, another laptop presented a mere saving of 100 crowns—its last month’s price was 21,590 crowns, but it was labeled as 21,490 crowns during the discount campaign.
The television section reflected similar cases of modest savings. One model originally priced at 13,592 crowns was offered at a promotional price of 13,490 crowns—again, most discounts hovered around the 500 crown mark rather than exceeding the magical 1,000 crown figure.
The prices were sometimes even higher
While examining the monitor department, we encountered surprising discrepancies; one price tag indicated a cost that was, in fact, one crown higher than the lowest amount recorded in the preceding 30 days. For instance, a monitor for 2,990 crowns was listed, but the price just before that was 2,989 crowns. Similarly, one phone was priced two crowns higher at 5,997 crowns, although its previous price was 5,995 crowns. In the case of a laptop featured in the sale, it escalated from 15,291 to 15,990 crowns.
We reached out to Datart for clarification regarding the pricing strategy behind their Black Friday discounts. As per their spokesperson, Petra Psotková, the price-setting processes adhere to statutory regulations and market conditions, along with a commitment to fair treatment for customers. She explained, “All Black Friday discounts are calculated based on comparisons with actual prices over the past 30 days. In some instances, discounts may be derived from lower figures if the product was part of a prior promotional campaign.” Nonetheless, she remarked that Black Friday has firmly established itself as one of the most anticipated retail events leading into the Christmas shopping season, with popular goods including mobile phones, headphones, smart watches, and small household appliances such as coffee machines and food processors. The Black Friday festivities at Datart will continue throughout the month of November.
There is almost nowhere to compare
Seeking further comparison, we aimed to explore another large electronics retailer’s physical store. Unexpectedly, we faced a notable challenge. The electronics sector in central Prague is predominantly dominated by Datart, which, following a recent merger, integrated the former Electro World outlets. Discovering another significant electronics seller in the area proved to be nearly impossible, excluding a handful of smaller independent shops.
Major contenders like Okay elektro, Expert elektro, and Planeo elektro remain in the competitive space, but their physical presence in Prague is quite limited. Okay operates a store in Prosek, Expert in Strašnice, while Planeo has branches in peripheral locations, including Řepy, Letňany, Hloubětín, and Hájy. Their fifth store is a distribution outlet in OC Šestka.
Aside from these, Smarty stores also exist in various locations within Prague; however, their stock is significantly more restricted, as they do not offer larger appliances like washing machines or refrigerators. This trend indicates a pronounced shift towards online shopping within the electronics sector.
The situation is similar in Planeo
In light of this, we briefly examined the online offerings of the aforementioned retailers. Nearly all of them were participating in the Black Friday discount frenzy in their own ways. To evaluate the discounts, we randomly selected Planeo elektro, owing to its extensive branch network in Prague. The results confirmed our conjecture; their discounts closely mirrored those available at Datart.
Once again, the initial prices before the discount sale were only a few tens of crowns lower than the prices listed for the previous 30 days. Significant differences were typically in the upper hundreds, with the smallest recorded discount at a measly 40 crowns. When considering pricier items, the discount margins remained quite negligible. For instance, a laptop originally priced at 43,990 crowns was available for 42,989 crowns during the Black Friday event. Despite an extensive check of their online selection, we didn’t observe any items priced higher prior to the sale event. A complete review of the entire e-shop’s offerings proved to be too vast for an exhaustive examination.
Despite our inquiries to Planeo elektro about their discount calculations and pricing variances, we received no responses. This reinforces the need for vigilance when shopping for electronics, particularly during promotional events. Although the price manipulation may not be as overt as what’s observed in the grocery sector, shoppers should remain cautious; not every sale lives up to the merchant’s promises. Though the announced Black Friday prices from most retailers indeed reflect the lowest prices from the last month, the realized savings in many cases prove to be disappointingly trivial.
What are the best techniques consumers can use to effectively compare prices and identify genuine savings during major sales events?
Sector, making it even more challenging for consumers to effectively compare prices and take advantage of true discounts.
Ultimately, if you’re planning your shopping strategy this Black Friday, be aware that while there may be some discounts to be had, many of the advertised savings are less substantial than they appear. Shop smartly, do your research, and be prepared to ask yourself if a few crowns saved on a new gadget are really worth skipping out on the holiday experiences you truly value. And who knows, perhaps investing in an inflatable unicorn pool is where the real fun lies this season!
Happy shopping, and may your savings be plentiful—though realistically, probably not much more than a few crowns!
