“双11”刚过去，“黑色星期五”购物季又要到了，各位剁手党准备好买买买了吗？可是，所谓的打折、优惠、大促销，真能帮你省钱吗？消费研究专家最近警告说，人们在“黑五”花的可能是冤枉钱，因为所谓的打折商品，多数比平时更贵。
Black Friday does not offer the bargains it claims, consumer experts warned.
消费专家警告称，“黑色星期五”的打折促销名不副实。
Almost all of the ‘deals’ promoted around the event last year were actually on offer for the same price or cheaper in the six months either before or after.
去年“黑五”期间，几乎所有促销优惠商品的价格其实与半年前或半年后的价格相同，甚至更贵。
Remarkably, just one in 20 was actually the cheapest price on that date.
值得注意的是，实际上只有二十分之一的商品价格在“黑五”期间是最便宜的。
Consumer group Which? has told shoppers to be wary of what they describe as the ‘Great Black Friday Swindle’ after analysing dozens of offers from Amazon, John Lewis and Currys PC World.
消费者组织Which？在分析了亚马逊、约翰•刘易斯和Currys PC World提供的数十种优惠后，告诉消费者要警惕“黑五大骗局”。
swindle [ˈswɪndl]：n.诈骗，欺诈；骗局
Imported from the US, Black Friday always falls on the last Friday of November. This is because the sales are scheduled to follow the American holiday of Thanksgiving which takes place the day before.
“黑五”源自美国，一般是在11月的最后一个星期五，也就是美国感恩节假期后的第一天。
In Britain, the event has been a disaster for many retailers – particularly those with a high street presence – because they feel they have to slash prices or risk missing out on the first flush of festive spending.
在英国，这一活动对许多零售商来说是一场灾难，尤其是那些在商业街开店的零售商，因为他们觉得必须降价，否则就可能错过节日消费的第一波热潮。
slash prices：大幅度降价
Before Black Friday crossed the Atlantic, shops held off advertising discounts until the last minute before Christmas.
“黑五”在英国普及之前，商店要到圣诞节前夕才推出优惠活动。
However, the November sales event now leads to a huge spending splurge over the weekend – only to be followed by empty stores and streets through December.
然而，11月的促销活动使周末消费热潮高涨，而整个12月消费市场都很疲软。
Now research by Which? suggests the Black Friday sales themselves are not all they seem.
而如今，Which？的研究表明“黑五”的促销名不副实。
Which? tracked the prices of 83 products on sale on Black Friday in 2018 for a year, from six months before the day until six months after. Researchers found just four deals – 5 percent – were cheaper on Black Friday than at other times.
Which？对2018年“黑五”打折出售的83种商品的价格进行了为期一年的追踪，从“黑五”之前的6个月到之后的6个月。研究人员发现，只有四件商品的价格在“黑五”当天的售价更低，仅占全部商品的5%。
Six in ten of the products on offer, which included speakers, soundbars and kitchen appliances, were cheaper or the same price on at least one day in the six months before the event.
六成的“黑五”打折商品，其中包括扬声器、条形音箱和厨房电器，售价与“黑五”前6个月内某天的价格相同，甚至更贵。
And Which? found that three in four products were cheaper or the same price in the six months afterwards, when compared with the deals offered in two weeks around Black Friday.
Which？还发现，与“黑五”两周促销期间的价格相比，四分之三的商品在“黑五”之后6个月内的价格更便宜或者相同。
Natalie Hitchins at Which? said: ‘We have repeatedly shown that “deals” touted by retailers on Black Friday are not as good as they seem. Time-limited sales can be a good opportunity to bag a bargain, but don’t fall for the pressure tactics around Black Friday. Our investigation indicates that this popular shopping event is all hype and there are few genuine discounts.’
Which？的娜塔莉·希金斯说：“我们一再表明，零售商吹捧的‘黑五’促销并不像看上去那么好。限时促销可能是捡便宜的好机会，但不要陷入‘黑五’期间的压力战术。我们的调查显示，这个受欢迎的购物活动都是炒作，几乎没有真正的折扣。”
hype [haɪp]：n.大肆宣传