In 2024 Wirecutter scanned 200,000 listed deals from major retailers and found that approximately 1% were real — that is, priced below the 90-day low. The rest were theater: a markdown from a temporarily-inflated MSRP, dressed up to look like a discount. Here's how to know the difference.
Use CamelCamelCamel for Amazon, Honey's price-history tool (built into the extension) for non-Amazon retailers, or Slickdeals' "deal score" indicator. If the current price is ≥ the 90-day low, it's a real deal. If it's above, the discount is theater.
When a retailer shows "was $399, now $299," go to the manufacturer's own site. If the manufacturer's price is $299, the "was $399" is inflated. Worth a 30-second check.
Retailers consistently raise list prices in October to give themselves room for the November "sale." If a product had a $30 lower list price in September than November, the Black Friday "discount" might not actually be a discount at all.
Wirecutter's deals page, Slickdeals' Frontpage (community-vetted), the New York Times Strategist, and Tom's Hardware Deals all verify against historical pricing before publishing. Their batting average is way above 1%.
The tactics above only matter if you actually use them on a live deal. We curate those next.
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