A year ago there were mini-riots and the police were called; this year there are mince pies, Christmas music, and some disappointed shoppers.
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“Our Black Friday event was incredibly popular last year so to ensure colleagues have enough time to set up for the event this year, we will be closing all participating stores at 12am and reopening them at 5am”, a spokesman said.
Greg Bromley of retail analyst Conlumino says there has been a shift towards shoppers buying clothes online thanks to click and collect and more convenient return options.
Some shops opened early to beat the Black Friday rush.
Many shoppers chose to shop online from the comfort of their homes rather than venture out to shopping centres. The discount day originated within the USA, where it takes place the day after Thanksgiving & kick-starts the Christmas shopping period. Consultants Experian & on-line retail group IMRG are forecasting on-line purchases will hit £1.07bn, the 1st time they’ve passed £1bn in in the future. Past year a Tesco store in Dundee was forced to close because of concerns over customer safety as crowds rushed to get their hands on bargains. A campaign online store for the US senator’s presidential bid promised “New Products + Cyber Monday Deals ALL WEEKEND LONG”.
There was a mixture of delight and frustration among bargain-hungry shoppers. This year there were less deals.
“There is a lot of security, it has to be to protect the public”.
Entrance to Tesco’s Western Avenue store in Cardiff was limited to 10 people at a time, as people waited in the rain.
However, Figen Akgul from Tottenham, north London, and her family ended up spending £600 on items including a Dyson vacuum cleaner, a hair curler, and microwave.
She said: “People have less money than before, so this gives them a chance to buy things they wouldn’t usually buy”.
“Every year we see a spike in online fraud with the theft of credit and debit card details. It was a strict “only a few at a time” policy”.
Boots – Black Friday weekend deals will start at Boots on November 27 and will be available online and in store.
It’s pretty much tradition now for most big retailers to open their doors extremely early Friday morning to let in hordes of shoppers.
Mohammed Syed was also happy after travelling to Tesco after finishing work at the local Warburtons bakery. But it was exciting for retailers and exceeded expectations, he said. Everyone is saying it’s going online and I think that’s going to be true in some ways.
Matt Biny, from Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, picked up some headphones.
“The bargains are there but people are just looking around”. “It’s Christmas isn’t it. I came previous year and got a tablet”. The event has triggered some of the ugliest scenes ever experienced in United Kingdom shops, and experts are questioning whether it’s more trouble than it is worth.
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Meanwhile, Tesco – which was the most searched-for retailer on Black Friday in 2014, has a special Black Friday and Cyber Monday section on its website – including a direct offers page with discounts in 11 product categories.
