THE FAKE DEAL INDEX
This week, plenty of “deals” weren’t real.
22%
of advertised “sales” we checked weren’t actually cheaper than their usual price.
1,650 deals scanned362 not a real discount
WORST OFFENDERS THIS WEEK
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How we measure it. Each week we sample items that stores are advertising as “on sale”, and compare each one’s price to its own usual price — the median of its recent averages from real price history. If the “sale” price isn’t at least 8% below its usual price, it goes in the “not a real discount” bucket. We judge the price, never the seller’s intent. The verdict engine is the same one behind every product page.