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Black Week in Germany: Shoppers Plan to Spend More as Warnings Over Fake Deals and Scams Intensify

Independent checks suggest many headline bargains translate to only small real savings.

Overview

  • Bitkom reports an average planned spend of about €312 — roughly 11% more than 2024 — with 69% planning to shop only online, 26% both online and in-store, and 4% only in stores.
  • Consumer advocates say many discounts are based on inflated list prices and call some offers a "Mogelpackung," urging shoppers to track prices, verify sellers and consider return costs.
  • Web.de and GMX flag a surge to roughly 212 million spam emails per day, up about 16% from October, with phishing lures ranging from fake giveaways to cloud-storage and finance alerts.
  • Price analyses find most items cheaper than a month earlier but with modest gains: Idealo sees average savings around 7% (larger on TVs and vacuums), while experts note average reductions have slid toward about 3% in recent years.
  • Retailers still expect a major sales week but forecast Black Week turnover of around €5.8 billion, which would be slightly below last year due to weak consumer sentiment.