In Black Friday Retailers like Amazon, and others increasingly, have been using a small but significant tactic that could cost shoppers hundreds of dollars during Black Friday and other sales events. A subtle checkbox labeled “Coupon” in the US or “Voucher” in the UK is quietly placed on product listings, offering additional discounts that many shoppers overlook.
Discounts Hidden in Plain Sight
These checkboxes are typically positioned below the price and surrounded by other page elements, making them easy to miss. According to the article, “The voucher checkbox is small and surrounded by colorful text, star ratings, and visual elements, and is dwarfed by the giant-font product description.”
An example cited from Amazon’s Prime Big Black Friday Sales Deals Days shows a product offering a $600 discount through this checkbox—an amount that could be easily missed by someone in a rush. The design seems deliberate: “Why isn’t the discount automatically applied—especially during a huge sales event, when it can be fairly assumed that browsers are consenting to saving as much money as they can?”
Broader Retail Trends
Amazon isn’t alone. Similar mechanisms are being reported at other retailers. These subtle discount options often require shoppers to manually check a box, which is sometimes hidden amidst the busy visual layout of the product page.
The article questions this strategy: “What motive can Amazon have for adding extra steps to the process, other than hoping that the customer will miss the opportunity to save money?”
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Why It Matters
During high-traffic shopping events like Black Friday, retailers use visual cues such as “Black Friday Deal” badges and bold percentage discounts to create the illusion of the best possible savings. These flashy elements distract from hidden options, making the extra discounts easy to overlook.
How to Stay Ahead
To avoid missing out, the article suggests:
- Thoroughly inspect listings: Look beyond bold “Deal” badges or colorful savings tags.
- Hunt for hidden discounts: Scroll carefully to find any additional coupon or voucher options.
- Cross-check prices: Compare deals across platforms to ensure you’re getting the best offer.
Shoppers should approach sales events cautiously. As the article notes, “Yes, we should all look very carefully at everything we click on the internet—it is, after all, our own responsibility to read everything on the page.” However, the deliberate placement of these checkboxes suggests a more mercenary strategy, leaving shoppers to fend for themselves in a sea of supposed savings.