The data
Fake discounts: the 'was' prices our records don't back up
Updated · 16 deals checked
A sale tag is two numbers, and only one of them has to be true. The price you pay is real. The crossed-out "was" price next to it is just a claim, and it's the number a store gets to choose. So we put those claims next to our records.
13 of 16
"was" prices that never show up in the prices we've recorded
$290.88
average gap between those tags and the item's usual recorded price (a 44% "discount" on paper)
9
tags at least 50% above the highest price we've ever recorded for the item
That doesn't make these bad buys. 9 of the 13 still earned an A or a B, because we grade the real price. A "was" price that isn't in our records earns no credit: we ignore it and grade the price you'd actually pay against what the item has sold for.
The list
"Usual price" is the middle of the prices we've recorded. "Above our highest" is how far the tag sits above the most we've recorded the item selling for.
| Product | Store | "Was" price | Usual price | Lowest recorded (date) | Gap | Above our highest | Our grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee M18 FUEL 3/8" impact wrench kit | The Home Depot | $613 | $199 | $199 (Oct 29, 2025, Dec 23, 2025 and Oct 26, 2026) | $414 (68%) | 208% (high $199) | B |
| RIDGID 18V impact wrench kit | The Home Depot | $557 | $189.05 | $179 (Mar 23, 2026) | $367.95 (66%) | 143% (high $229) | D |
| Milwaukee M18 FUEL blower, two 5Ah batteries | The Home Depot | $569 | $199 | $199 (Nov 11, 2024, Oct 28, 2025, Nov 21, 2025 and Oct 26, 2026) | $370 (65%) | 186% (high $199) | B |
| Milwaukee M18 inflator with two 5Ah batteries | The Home Depot | $566 | $199 | $199 (Oct 25, 2022, Oct 28, 2023, Oct 21, 2024, Nov 28, 2024 and Oct 26, 2026) | $367 (65%) | 184% (high $199) | B |
| LG 28 cu ft French-door fridge | The Home Depot | $3,099 | $1,679.50 | $1,560 (Sep 1, 2026) | $1,419.50 (46%) | 72% (high $1,799) | D |
| DEWALT brushless circular saw, 6Ah + 4Ah kit | The Home Depot | $398 | $214 | $199 (Oct 26, 2026) | $184 (46%) | 74% (high $229) | B |
| RIDGID 18V hand vacuum kit | The Home Depot | $129 | $74 | $69 (Sep 14, 2026 and Oct 22, 2026) | $55 (43%) | 63% (high $79) | C |
| Milwaukee M18 Rover clamping flood light | The Home Depot | $129 | $79 | $79 (Dec 26, 2025 and Oct 26, 2026) | $50 (39%) | 63% (high $79) | B |
| Insignia 1.1 cu ft microwave | Best Buy | $129.99 | $79.99 | $79.99 (Jun 23, 2026, Jul 23, 2026, Aug 22, 2026, Sep 16, 2026 and Oct 21, 2026) | $50 (38%) | 63% (high $79.99) | C |
| CRAFTSMAN 2000 Series 52-in tool cabinet | Lowe's | $599 | $399 | $399 (Jun 4, 2026 and Oct 22, 2026) | $200 (33%) | 11% (high $539) | B |
| Kobalt 24V 24-in hedge trimmer kit | Lowe's | $139 | $99 | $79 (Oct 22, 2026) | $40 (29%) | 40% (high $99) | B |
| Kobalt 25-ft self-lock tape measure, 2-pack | Lowe's | $16.98 | $12.98 | $11.98 (Oct 24, 2026) | $4 (24%) | 31% (high $12.98) | B |
| Acer Nitro 65 gaming desktop | Best Buy | $1,549.99 | $1,289.99 | $1,199.99 (Oct 21, 2026) | $260 (17%) | 13% (high $1,369.99) | A |
A real "was" price isn't the same as a fair one
3 of the 16 "was" prices do show up in our records. Here's when, next to the lowest price we've recorded:
- Lenovo Yoga 7i 16" 2-in-1: $1,349.99 on Oct 2, 2026; lowest $799.99 on Oct 26, 2026.
- Lenovo Yoga 7i Aura 14" OLED 2-in-1: $1,699.99 on Oct 1, 2026 and Oct 13, 2026; lowest $949.99 on Oct 21, 2026.
- Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x 14" OLED: $1,499.99 on Sep 8, 2026 and Oct 4, 2026; lowest $649.99 on Jul 24, 2026.
A real past price can still be a peak. Measure a discount against the lowest price, not the highest.
How we made this list
- The sample. We started with all 62 deals in our records as of Oct 26, 2026. 41 have a store "was" price. We kept the 16 with at least two dated prices, each naming the store, spread over at least 30 days. The other 25 don't have enough history to check yet.
- What gets flagged. A "was" price is on the list when it never matches any price we've recorded for that item. Tags at least 50% above our highest recorded price are the clearest cases.
- The math. The usual price is the median of the recorded prices. The gap is the "was" price minus the usual price, and the percent is that gap divided by the "was" price, the same way a store works out its own percent off. The averages cover the 13 flagged tags.
- Where the data comes from. Every price is from our own deal records, and each one names the store and the date.
- The caveat. These are records as of Oct 26, 2026, and prices change fast this time of year. Our records are mostly sale-day prices, since that's when deals get listed, which tilts the history low. 16 deals is a small sample we chose because they were on sale, so treat this as a list of specific tags we couldn't back up, not a rate for any store.
What to do with this
Ignore the crossed-out number. Look at what the item has actually sold for, and ask whether today's price is lower than that. If it isn't, the percent-off sign is just decoration. Deal pages show the recorded prices behind the grade wherever we can show them, the model lookup shows the price worth waiting for, and how we grade explains the rest. Deals that don't hold up go to Detention.
Want to know when one of these hits an A? Set a grade alert.