US Black Friday shopping craze hits UK

Police were called to stores in London, Bristol , Cardiff, Glasgow and Dundee to calm bargain-mad shoppers after the prices of thousands of items – including food and drink – were axed in a US-style promotion.

Now a firm fixture of the US retail calendar, Black Friday features sharp price discounts on the day after the American holiday of Thanksgiving – on the first Thursday of November. While not a public holiday, it is seen as the start of the Christmas shopping season with takings at the tills rivalling the the Boxing Day Sales.

‘Carnage in some stores’​

The Economist Intelligence Unit said Black Friday had provoked shopper frenzy. “So far, Black Friday in the UK has been chaotic, with carnage in some stores prompting calls for the police to help manage the situation,” ​said retail analyst Jon Copestake.

“Additionally,​ [web] sites from Currys to John Lewis and Tesco have suffered traffic outages due to unexpected demand. Despite all the preparations it would appear that the sheer numbers of people looking for bargains on this year’s Black Friday have taken everybody by surprise.”​

But the popularity of Black Friday was likely to undermine the potential for purchases later in the Christmas shopping period. “The waiting times and overloading of stores is also unlikely to be good for the reputations of the retailers involved,”​ he added.

‘Tesco, in particular, is already coming under criticism’​

“Tesco, in particular, is already coming under criticism for mishandling store number. But it does highlight the continued enthusiasm consumers have for bargains or sales and, given the choice between making a sale now or relying on future Christmas dates most retailers would prefer to have the money now.” ​

Price-aware consumers may become increasingly difficult to engage in purchasing unless they are in the form of some sort of sale or discount, he said.

Meanwhile, online retailer Amazon is offering 3,000 ‘Lightening Deals’; featuring a limited amount of produce sold at big discounts. Food and drink products featuring in its line up included: a 40% cut in the price of Johnnie Walker Whisky Plantinum 70cl, and 20% off Walker’s Shortbread and Campbell’s Soup.

Sainsbury, which took part in Black Friday for the first time this year, said the promotion offered shoppers great sales and the retailer a chance to gain a competitive edge.

The store’s director of retail and operations Roger Burnley said: “This is a great way to give our customers some fantastic deals on products before Christmas.​

“It’s a competitive market, so it felt right to be part of the mix this year and kick off the busiest trading time of the year with a popular sales event.” ​

Black Friday facts​

• US shopping promotion held on the day after Thanksgiving or the fourth Thursday of November
• Said to mark the start of Christmas shopping
• Last year about 141M US shoppers spent $57.4bn, with online sales of $1.2bn
• Since 2005, it has become the busiest shopping day of the year
• Named after the day on which retailers were said to make a profit or pass into the black
• Observed in the US, Canada, UK and Latin America