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Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year, with customers queuing for days and sometimes even resorting to violence in order to get their hands on the best deals.

But the post-Thanksgiving sales may not in fact be the best time to snap up low-priced merchandise, according to a new analysis.

Researchers found that around a third of products advertised as being on sale for the holiday have been available at lower prices earlier this year.

More people than ever before are expected to abandon the tradition of family time  and head to stores to get a head-start on Christmas shopping or treat themselves to cut-price gadgets.

This year, the consumer frenzy has even spread to Thanksgiving Day itself – redubbed “Gray Thursday” – with a number of major retailers opening as early as 8p.m. to attract those who are keen to leave the house after a day of turkey and television.

In the past, the Black Friday sales have resulted in riots as customers compete to snap up limited bargains – but for many shoppers, the threat of violence is apparently worth it for the prospect of uniquely good-value deals.

However, an analysis by the Wall Street Journal and Decide Inc. has revealed that many products popular on Black Friday are actually available cheaper at other times.

Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year, with customers queuing for days and sometimes even resorting to violence in order to get their hands on the best deals

Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year, with customers queuing for days and sometimes even resorting to violence in order to get their hands on the best deals

They surveyed more than 500 “doorbuster” bargains which have been promoted by stores such as Sears and Best Buy, and concluded that nearly a third had been sold for a lower price earlier this year.

The fact that Black Friday is not always the cheapest time to go shopping is not surprising, according to McKinsey’s Rob Docters, who suggested that many customers assume that the best bargains are available then without bothering to check prices on specific items.

“People associate Black Friday with good prices, and that eliminates the need to check price,” he told the Journal.

Sears is advertising the KitchenAid Series Stand Mixer at the special price of $319.99 this holiday season.

But in March, the same device was on sale at Sears for $296, according to Decide.

A spokesman insisted: “Our advertised prices are competitive.”

At Home Depot, a GE Adora dishwasher is advertised for $598, said to be a saving of $151.

But a Columbus Day offer in October pushed the price down to $538.

The company claims that the majority of its Black Friday deals are the best bargains of the year.

Other deals work out as uniquely cheap only when you include the value of gift cards given away with some items.

Experts told MarketWatch that while some items, such as gadgets and white goods, are particularly good bargains on Black Friday, customers should hold off for other purchases.

Winter clothing and linens, for example, tend to be cheapest in January as stores clear out their stock in preparation for spring.

And those hunting for deals on luxury goods such as jewellery are likely to be disappointed – retailers like Tiffany’s are too worried about the blow to their high-end image to offer any sort of Black Friday bargains.

Mac users booking hotels on the Orbitz travel site could end up paying more for their holidays, reports the Wall Street Journal.

Orbitz told the paper it was showing Mac users different, and in many cases more expensive, hotels to those shown to people browsing on a Windows PC.

Orbitz said research suggested Mac users generally spent about 30% more per night on hotels than PC users.

But it never showed the two user groups the same room for different prices.

Mac users booking hotels on the Orbitz travel site could end up paying more for their holidays

Mac users booking hotels on the Orbitz travel site could end up paying more for their holidays

Orbitz defended its policy as an “experiment” and said tools on its site let users customize what they saw in a way that would eliminate the differences.

Research into different user groups on the Orbitz site had revealed Mac users were 40% more likely to book a four- or five-star hotel than those logging in with a PC, it said.

In addition, it noticed, when Mac and PC users visited the same hotel the Windows users tended to go for the cheaper rooms.

The average nightly spend on a hotel was $100, Orbitz said.

Orbitz also owns the CheapTickets, ebookers, HotelClub and RatesToGo website.