Catherine Scott: Why I refuse to be drawn in by Black Friday

Just when I managed to resist the temptation to try to bag a bargain, (which isn’t a bargain if you don’t need it in the first place) I wake up to Cyber Monday.

This means that if the retailers haven’t managed to wheedle your hard earned cash out of you over the weekend they will have another go on Monday.

Don’t get me wrong I am one for a bargain, but increasingly we are wising up to the fact that these so-called bargain aren’t always what they claim to be.

Since 1940, Black Friday has existed in America in one form or another, an attempt by retailers to get shoppers out after Thanksgiving and bag some bargains - the equivalent of our January sales - remember those?

We have Amazon to thank for bringing the affair to the UK and, since 2010, we’ve been snapping up apparently unbelievable bargains.. The fever-pitch status the build-up to Black Friday caused ended up with riots in some places last year and led to a number retailers proudly proclaiming they were boycotting the event.

However, many others actually went beyond Black Friday and even Cyber Monday proclaiming ‘Five days of Black Friday deals.” What next? Will November be declared Black Friday month?

Without the calendar event of Thanksgiving to hang it on there is nothing to stop the marketeers doing this..

Will we now see this continue until Christmas as having a look on line and on many of the High Streets there seems no sign of it abating. Are retailers suddenly going to put their prices up again?

Although the more they apparently discount the less credibility goes it with it.

All that seems to be happening now is that retailers, to abide by the law, but prices up 20per cent for a months or so before discounting them said amount.

Do they think we will really continue to fall for this? But it is the human psyche to go for what looks like a great deal.

So long as people are aware of this and take care to research before hand and not be seduced by apparent bargains then I suppose there is nothing wrong with it.

May be I am a romantic but wouldn’t it jus be easier, and fairer to have proper, fair prices all year round.

Shopping for loved ones at Christmas should be an enjoyable affair, not a panic purchase in case you miss that must-have bargain. We might then see a return of the January sales.