Black Friday 2026: The 30-Day Rule That Exposes Fake Discounts

Black Friday 2026 falls this year on Friday, November 27, followed by Cyber Monday on November 30. But behind the “-70%” banners, a precise legal rule has governed discount advertising in France since 2022 — and inspections show it's far from always being followed. Here's how it works, and how to spot a fake promotion in a few seconds.

A Rule in Effect Since 2022, Not a 2026 Novelty

Since May 28, 2022, Article L112-1-1 of the French Consumer Code (Code de la consommation), stemming from the European “Omnibus” directive, has required any seller announcing a discount to display a reference price: the lowest price that seller itself charged during the 30 days preceding the promotion. A permanent slashed price that was never actually charged therefore has no economic reality under the law. This rule applies to all online retailers, from e-commerce giants to small shops, and applies just as much to Black Friday as to seasonal sales or a one-off promotion.

What the Inspections Reveal

Checks carried out by the authorities give a sense of the scale of the problem. During Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025, the DGCCRF (France's consumer protection agency) inspected 314 merchant websites: 30% of them incorrectly calculated their discounts, without complying with the 30-day reference period.

For its part, UFC-Que Choisir (a French consumer advocacy group) examined 933 slashed-price listings on six major platforms (Amazon, Asos, Cdiscount, Shein, Temu, and Zalando) between February and April 2025. The result: 85% of slashed prices misled consumers, and only 15% corresponded to an actual price drop calculated on the lowest price of the previous 30 days. The gap is stark when it comes to the size of the discounts shown: a compliant discount shows an average 11% reduction, compared with 31% for “comparison prices” freely set by the seller.

How to Spot a Real Discount

• Compare the price shown with the price seen on the same site a few weeks earlier, using a price history tracker.
• Be wary of a slashed price that's displayed permanently on the product page, outside the promotion period.
• Check that the discount stays reasonable: a markdown of more than 30-40% on a brand-new product should raise a red flag.
• Read the terms before paying with consumer credit or installment payments, which are often pushed aggressively during these promotional days.
• Keep your receipt and correspondence: the legal warranty of conformity normally applies, even to an item bought on sale.

Black Friday is also a good time to keep an eye on the environmental claims pushed by some retailers: following announcements about the anticipated end of greenwashing in shopping, massive discounts on fast-obsolescence products remain something consumers mindful of their purchasing power should watch throughout the year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Black Friday 2026 have an official date in France?

No, no law sets a legal date: by custom, France follows the American date, the last Friday of November, which falls on November 27, 2026.

What should I do if a slashed price looks misleading?

A report can be filed on the DGCCRF's SignalConso platform, which then forwards it to the relevant enforcement agencies.

Does the 30-day rule also apply to brick-and-mortar stores?

Yes, Article L112-1-1 of the Consumer Code covers any price-reduction announcement, whether online or in a physical store.

Sources

• DGCCRF — Black Friday, Watch Out for False Promises
• UFC-Que Choisir — Slashed Prices on E-Commerce Sites

This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence. Editorial policy