Jessica Elgot (now), Graham Ruddick, Hilary Osborne and Julia Kollewe 

Black Friday: latest news and the best deals – as it happened

Black Friday sales got off to a calm start in stores but some websites crashed as retailers struggled to keep up with demand.
  
  

Customers shop in Macy’s in New York City.
Customers shop in Macy’s in New York City. Photograph: Kena Betancur/Getty Images

We’re bringing this live blog to a close now, though the reason is certainly not to ensure its authors can catch the few hours of Black Friday sales.

Thanks for all your comments and tweets.

Updated

America, the ancestral home of Black Friday, is now in full swing at the sales. Shops across the pond also seem quieter than usual, but there are big queues at some out of town malls and discount stores. It’s expected 135m Americans will shop this Black Friday weekend, according to the National Retail Federation.

There have been conflicting tactics from retailers this year about whether to embrace Black Friday, says Andrew Lewis, a senior lecturer in retail operations at Manchester Metropolitan University

Retailers such as Aldi and Lidl are not jumping on the Black Friday bandwagon, retailers such as Asda [cancelled] their event this week and John Lewis has prevented their staff from receiving their staff discounts on Black Friday website items.

However, there have been some interesting macro factors that are shaping consumers’ spending confidence.

George Osborne announced a U-turn on tax credits in his spending review, unemployment falls to a seven-year low, an increase in real wages, a flat rate of inflation culminating in low mortgage rates and excellent credit card deals.

Retailers have extended the event to incorporate a week of deals such as Very and Currys suggesting that consumers have greater spending confidence than in 2014.

The continued rise in smartphones usage makes it even easier to shop on the go, as illustrated by the latest PayPal television advertisement. The BRC’s prediction of breaking the £1bn barrier could well come true.

Van rental firm Hertz report they are seeing a 20% increase on van rentals contrasted with a normal Friday, which they have put down to shoppers hiring bigger vehicles to take large purchases home from the sales.

Many journalists and brands have attempted to subvert Black Friday and failed, so comrades at Vice’s Motherboard site decided the best tactic may just be to be as blatant as possible.

As blatant as taking all the key Google search terms for Thanksgiving and Black Friday, as well as the names of the most popular items and retailers, and splice them into a post of the Communist Manifesto.

Shopping centres are looking a little busier now, with these pictures just in from the Bull Ring in Birmingham and the West Quay shopping centre in Southampton.

It may be far quieter on the streets, but that’s because most shoppers are staying on their sofas - this Black Friday is set to become the biggest online shopping day in UK history, according to retail analysts Experian-IMRG.

The group predicts spending online will top £1.07bn, a 32% increase on the £810 million spent last year.

Some of the promotional tweets today really are proving you can get pretty much anything in a Black Friday sale, from an adopted kitten to curried goat.

The streets of Madrid are far from chaotic but there are signs in the shop windows with slogans about ‘Black Friday’ and hopeful shoppers looking to get a bargain, as the sales day grows more popular in Spain. El Mundo has published a list this year of where Spanish shoppers can find the best bargains

The Argos website continues to struggle, the Press Association reports, with pages taking almost four seconds to load during the hour to 1pm. The entire site remained unavailable at least 20% of the time.

Websites which have shown consistently good performance so far include Amazon, John Lewis and Boots, all of which have been available online for 100% of Black Friday.

Both Debenhams and Tesco have improved on their earlier difficulties. Between 12pm and 1pm, Debenhams’ speed was down to 0.8 seconds and Tesco’s stood at 0.9 seconds.

A spokesman for Tesco told the Press Association its site was “fully operational and we are happy with the number of orders received so far”.

Some good news for the high street. While it may have been quiet this morning, traders are reporting that footfall is picking up. In the West End, the number of visitors is up 10% compared to Black Friday last year in the first four hours of trading apparently. Jace Tyrrell, chief executive of the New West End Company, said:

There is a terrific atmosphere on the streets, with shoppers enjoying the first discounts of the season in an unashamedly festive setting.

I have seen people bringing suitcases with them in order to carry their purchases home– and with retailers offering discounts of up to 50% off, it is no surprise that a predicted £100m will be taken in West End tills today and a total of £200m from Friday to Sunday.

In light of the footfall figures we have seen so far, we look set to be on course for the busiest trading day in London’s West End so far this year.”

In the US, where the shopping is just getting started, an insight into the Black Friday traditions...

Here is another video of what it was like inside Tesco stores this morning at 5am when they opened. This is the Lea Valley store in North London. Police were called here last year, bit different this time..

Here is an empty shopping mall in Brooklyn

This is interesting. It is not just the UK where the Black Friday crowds have gone missing, this is the latest from the US

So, what are most the popular purchases on Black Friday? Well, according to Very.co.uk, the top search on its website is “consoles” followed by “tv”. This is a trend echoed by Currys PC World, which is shifting an extraordinary 30 televisions every minute online. Another popular purchase is hair curlers, with lots of Tesco customers walking away from its stores with the beauty product

Here is our news story on Black Friday so far, including some comments from shoppers who braved the cold to queue for the opening of Tesco stores at 5am

Westfield, owner of two major shopping centres in London, still believes Black Friday will be a strong day of trading in physical stores. However, they are being a bit coy on exact figures. Myf Ryan, Westfield director, said:

Last year, Black Friday cemented itself in the UK festive calendar for both shoppers and retailers. At Westfield, we saw nearly 300,000 people pass through our doors and we expect similar record numbers of visitors this year as shoppers take advantage of the special deals on offer. Black Friday is quickly becoming a marker of the start of Christmas shopping in the UK, with many people using the weekend to get ahead with their purchasing.”

The Argos website is coming in for criticism about how slowly it is running, but the company insists it is doing what it can. A spokesman for Home Retail Group, owner of Argos, said:

We are actively managing the flow of traffic through our website which is at extremely high levels right now and we have processes in place to ensure all customers can complete their transactions. We are very sorry if some customers are experiencing delays as a result. Lots of successful orders are being placed so we ask them to please bear with us and keep trying.”

As a reminder, retail analysts are forecasting that as much as £2bn could be spent online and in stores today, which would be a record. This works out as £83m every hour, £1.4m every minute and more than £23,000 every second. Crazy. There was an early peak in spending between midnight and 1am as shoppers logged on to websites to hunt for deals, but high street stores believe their busiest period could come later in the day

Where are all the shoppers? This is the Trafford Centre in Manchester

Updated

Bryan Roberts, analyst at Kantar Retail, has some interesting views on the slow start to Black Friday on the high street:

TV crews outnumbered shoppers on London’s Oxford Street, while many stores that we visited were virtually deserted. Only electricals retailer Currys and a couple of department stores were showing any signs of incremental business.

If observations on social media are to be believed, it also appears that participating supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s were not exactly rushed off their feet during early trading. A couple of retailers, including Debenhams, have asserted that they are anticipating a decent uptick in shoppers after people finish work, but it remains to be seen if this more of an optimistic wish rather than a scientific forecast.”

Asda cuts price of petrol for Black Friday

Talking of Asda, while they may not be offering deals on electrical items on Black Friday, they have knocked four pence off a litre of fuel across its 277 petrol stations for three days. Drivers can expect to pay 99.7ppl on unleaded and 103.7ppl on diesel. On Monday, Asda will revert back to its original price of 103.7ppl on unleaded and 106.7 ppl on diesel.

Updated

Given the costs to retailers of bringing in security and the police to watch over stores on Black Friday, the photos showing how quiet everywhere is begs the question as to whether it is really worth it. There are also examples of shoppers complaining that they can’t buy grocery items while the Black Friday promotions are going on. Asda, Britain’s third biggest supermarket, has scrapped its Black Friday promotions this year, and more could follow....

This shows the quiet start to Black Friday on Oxford Street. Evidence suggests that shoppers are focusing their spending online this year

We now have some videos that show the “calm” start to Black Friday. This video is from Tesco stores in Scotland and Sheffield....

Updated

One of the UK’s biggest online retailers, AO.com, says that as of 9am its Black Friday sales are double what they were at the same time last year. AO.com is offering some big discounts on televisions, fridges, and other kitchen appliances. John Roberts, the boss of AO.com, who is never short of a word or two, says:

We are having a fantastic Black Friday so far. It looks like online has definitely been the winner this morning as we’ve seen lots of existing and new customers choosing to get their knock out deals online to avoid the fear of getting knocked out in-store. At 9am sales were double those we saw at the same time last year, with food preparation appliances and TV deals flying out the door.”

There is a major security presence at supermarkets after police heavily criticised retailers for their lack of preparation last year. This is Tesco Lea Valley, which also had a police van outside.

There were about 50 people in the queue when Tesco opened in Lea Valley, way down on the crowds of last year. This was partly down to the 5am opening time

We’ve got some photos of some bargain-hunters at Tesco in Lea Valley in North London this morning. Police were called to this supermarket last year, but it was more serene on opening this time

So is the lack of queues at high street stores a sign that Black Friday is dead in the UK? Some interesting analysis now starting to come through about what is actually going on. Basically, the answer is no, it’s not dead. Rather, retailers have been ultra-cautious in their planning to avoid a repeat of last year, and shoppers are buying online instead. If I was a betting man, I would say today is still likely to be the biggest ever shopping day in Britain. Jon Copestake, retail analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, says:

Stores were caught unaware last year and are likely to have made much better preparations this year. Additionally, shoppers may also be wary after last year’s excesses and many are becoming more inured to holiday season sales. There is an awareness now that Black Friday runs through until Cyber Monday and, even after this, there are plenty of shopping dates like Super/Panic Saturday and Manic Monday to choose from. Stores are also spreading sales out too. Amazon began its Black Market sales a week before Black Friday and offers daily flash deals anyway.

“Thought for the Day on Radio 4 this morning warned me against the rampant consumerism of Black Friday,” writes independent City analyst Louise Cooper.

But I fear I am already tempted. Rather than buying a second hand bike for my son on Ebay, I almost got the credit card out to buy a new Black Friday one. But a little investigation showed that the deal was not quite as good as initially it appeared (nothing new there).”

Talking more generally about the outlook for the high street, she says:

I expect this year to be the first really good year for retailers. That’s because wages are rising (at 3%) a lot faster than inflation (which is flat at zero percent). This is the first year this has happened since the start of the crisis. Britons have money to spend and are finally feeling the recovery in their pockets.

However there remains massive pricing pressure. And game theory ensures that once one retailer begins to discount, almost all others have to, to avoid losing revenue.”

In Ipswich, trade wasn’t as brisk as last year soon after shops opened. Rebecca Smithers reports:

In the first half hour of trading, business in this popular Currys PC World store (which also houses sister company Carphone Warehouse) was steady if unremarkable. The customers – predominantly men – were attracted like magnets to the TV section – where staffing levels have been beefed up (to a total of 60) after the retailer was caught out last year by shoppers’ enthusiasm for Black Friday offers. Not only did both its websites crash, but it was also unable to guarantee next day delivery on online orders.

Strategically placed at the front of the store, lined up like plastic-clad soldiers though being ignored by shoppers - are ranks of Hotpoint washing machines, with the normal price of £379.99 slashed to £239.99.

An early shopper, who knew exactly what he wanted, was Paul Roche of Eye in Suffolk, who had already visited the nearby Tesco Extra which had opened an hour earlier – in pitch blackness - at 5am. Brandishing his ticket which Tesco is handing out to restrict numbers, he said: “I had a quick look round but what I wanted was here and I’m very happy.” Pointing to the box in the back of his car, he said: “I got a LG soundbar for my LG TV, which I bought here a few months ago, and it was down to £129 for £220. That will be a nice little boost for our Christmas TV watching.”

Currys PC World has predicted that this Black Friday will be even bigger than last year [see previous post].

But in Ipswich things were not as busy as last year soon after opening. Rebecca writes:

Staff – many rubbing their eyes - seemed to outnumber customers, but were approaching every one and offering their help. Charlotte Lemon, team leader, said: “Last year we opened at 9am and it was much busier than today. Last year we didn’t have enough staff on the TV section – only two – but today we have six and that seems to have paid off so far.”

Updated

Currys PC World says it has seen a strong start to its Black Friday sale:

  • Eight sales per second
  • 30 TVs per minute selling online
  • Yesterday’s website traffic almost as high as Boxing Day last year
  • Seven million visitors to the site this week alone
  • Peak in mobile traffic as deals went live at 6am

The retailer says that since the Black Friday deals went live online, the £30 off Apple iPads deal proved particularly popular, with the Dyson V6 Animal Cordless Vacuum Cleaner (£239, down from £349.99) and the Samsung Ultra HD 4K 43 inch TV (£399, down from £549) also going down well with shoppers.

Updated

Independent retail analyst Nick Bubb has sent us his thoughts on Black Friday:

Well, it looks as if Black Friday spending has been more spread out this year and more weighted to online, but every indication is that the combined event will be bigger than last year overall. However, as that will merely represent spending sucked forward from December, it is too soon to say whether the retail sector will be any better off in net terms once the dust settles...”

On the roads around Britain’s biggest shopping centres, congestion levels increased by nearly a quarter this morning, according to traffic analysts INRIX. It said the peak this morning was between 7am and 8am, when levels of congestion were 33% higher than last Friday, as eager bargain hunters added to the regular rush hour commute (despite anecdotal evidence that Black Friday got off to a quieter start than last year).

Updated

Bryan Roberts, analyst at Kantar Retail, has been to the shops.

The Carphone Warehouse website is holding up well, says chief executive Sebastian James.

Sir Charles Dunstone, co-founder and chairman of the mobile phone company, has been spotted in its Currys PC World store in Bury St Edmunds.

Updated

The Boots and Game websites have also been crashing, according to a live tracker by commerce agency Ampersand. Boots later said that its website had NOT crashed.

Darryl Adie, managing director of Ampersand, says:

Ever-extending sales periods like this are notoriously hard to predict. Retailers should immediately delve deep into hour-by-hour analytics reporting and cross check with how and when systems outages occurred. Starting load and performance testing right away will give retailers the best chance of avoiding outages next year.“

Updated

Argos and Tesco websites struggling to keep up with demand

As shoppers are going online to pick up Black Friday bargains, most websites appear to be working ok, for now. Of the big retailers, Argos is struggling to keep up with demand on its website, according to Capacitas, a firm that monitors (and claims to help prevent) website crashes. The Argos website has struggled from the start, and is taking a long time to load and has gone down several times.

Tesco also appears to have some trouble managing the load of bargain hunters. Although page load times are good, researchers from Capacitas have begun to see errors whilst shopping on the website. You can compare load times for 11 websites Aand read the analysis here.

Debenhams expects late rush tonight

The Debenhams marketing director Richard Cristofoli expects a late rush after people leave work tonight, as Sarah Butler reports.

Christofoli at Debenhams said he expected the rush on Oxford Street to come at the end of the day after people finish work. The store will stay open until 11pm tonight, an hour later than last year when it found it had to escort people out of the door at 10pm. He says every store has its trading patterns but Oxford Street tends to take off later in the day than other store building up from lunchtime.”

Updated

Black Friday appears to be a quiet affair in Dublin too.

Many shoppers appear to have chosen to shop online from the comfort of their homes rather than venture out into the rain. Following last year’s shambolic scenes when fights broke out between bargain hunters, retailers have opened later, laid on extra security and introduced queuing systems.

Retail analysts are predicting today will be Britain’s biggest-ever shopping day, with consumers set to spend as much as £2bn.

Updated

My colleague Rebecca Smithers reports from Ipswich:

Quite lively at Currys/PC World and chatted to lots of customers, though staff said quieter than last year. Absolutely dead at Argos and Sainsbury’s didn’t open till 8am...”

Here is Graham Ruddick’s report in full.

Charitable alternatives to shopping frenzy

If you want to protest against Black Friday’s rampant consumerism, Friday is also Buy Nothing Day, as reported earlier. Some 36,000 people have said they were taking part in Buy Nothing Friday on Facebook, with another 15,000 interested.

There are other alternatives offered by some retailers.

A new UK charity called Shop4Charity is taking part in the US-inspired shopping day(s). Every time someone makes a purchase, some of the proceeds go to the causes it is involved with, such as Delete Blood Cancer. Shop4Charity was founded by Adam Maddock who lost his sister to Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.

Its Black Friday deals include a Casio Analog-digital black tele-memo world time 100M WR watch for £43.99, a large Disney Frozen Adventure book at £13.56 and a Minions Courier Bag at £12.79.

At fashion chain Fat Face, today is “thanks for giving” day, while ethical brands Traidcraft and People Tree are telling their shoppers it’s “Just Friday” and independent booksellers are promising that Saturday will be “Civilised Saturday”. Sarah Butler has more on charitable alternatives to the shopping frenzy.

Harsh and Sweet is offering a 20% off on its eco-friendly jewellery. Enter BLACKFRIDAY at checkout.

US online clothing company Everlane is also taking a different approach. Instead of running a Black Friday sale, the firm is giving its profits to the workers who sew T-shirts in its LA factory. More here.

Updated

Sarah Butler is behind the scenes at Debenhams in Oxford Street, where staff are preparing for the store opening.

Updated

Mince pies not mini riots

My colleague Graham Ruddick is reporting from Tesco and Sainsbury’s in north London. Following last year’s mayhem, Tesco decided to open its Extra stores across the country at 5am rather than at midnight as in 2014 and stepped up security. He writes:

A year ago there were mini-riots and the police were called, this year there was mince pies, Christmas music, and some disappointed shoppers. An ultra-cautious approach by Tesco to the Black Friday sales has helped to avoid the chaotic scenes of last year, and dampened demand for discounts among keen shoppers.

At Tesco’s Lea Valley supermarket in North London, there was a heavy security presence, a 5am opening time, and an orderly queuing system that saw between 10 and 20 people let into the store at a time. A police van stood by the main entrance in case of any trouble, but the four officers never left their seats.

There was a mixture of delight and frustration among bargain-hungry shoppers. John Nash, from Enfield, who was looking for Christmas presents for his grandchildren and walked away with a £100 television, said: “Last year was much better. This year there were less deals. You could get lost in stuff last year. There is a lot of security, it has to be to protect the public. I like that. There were a lot of fights last time. It’s better letting in ten people at a time.”

However, Figen Akgul from Tottenham and here family ended up spending £600 on items including a Dyson vacuum cleaner, haircurler, and microwave. “I think we saved 70%,” she said. “To be honest with you we just came to see what was here. Last year we just stumbled across it and there were riots. This year they have done well, only letting 20 people in at a time.”

The best deals, such as a PlayStation 4 for £249 and a £34 tablet, were only offered behind a counter where customers had to wait to be served, ensuring the manic scenes of a year ago were not repeated.

There were similar scenes at a nearby Sainsbury’s, where there was more security outside than customers.”

Updated

People have always loved a good bargain, as this video Sale Time at Selfridges (1970) demonstrates.

It’s a similar picture at Debenhams on Oxford Street. I guess people don’t like getting up early, and the rain isn’t helping.

An update on the latest deals: Gap is offering 40% off full-price styles online until Sunday (with the code FRIDAYGAP) and 50% off some items in stores until Saturday.

Updated

Graham Ruddick has moved on to Sainsbury’s at Harringay Green Lanes. As at Tesco, it’s quieter than last year, and all very orderly, he says.

My colleague Sarah Butler is on Oxford Street where she has found one person waiting outside John Lewis:

Calm start to Black Friday

So far, so calm, it seems.

Press Association reports things got off to a slow start on Oxford Street this morning:

The Boots flagship store on Sedley Place was one of a handful of shops which opened extra early, advertising deals on huge posters by the shop entrance. But the doors flung open to two waiting journalists and no customers.

Elsewhere Norfolk Police were on site at Blue Boar Tesco in Norwich in case of trouble, but the queue of around 18 people moved slowly and politely through the doors as they opened up. The scene at Surrey Quays Tesco was more calm than last year, when police were called to reports of arguments breaking out. Around 30 people waited in the queue before making their way into the store as security guards looked on.

Entrance to Tesco’s Western Avenue store in Cardiff was limited to 10 people at a time, as people waited in the rain. The 100-strong queue at Tesco Extra in Kingston Park, Newcastle upon Tyne were assured the store had plenty of stock, as the shutters were raised at 5am.

But there are some happy shoppers out there, says Graham Ruddick.


Updated

Deals at Tesco’s shops include £50 off Dyson hoovers and 49 inch TVs for £199.

And free festive snacks and entertainment.

Updated

First shops open in UK

Branches of Tesco are opening, and it looks like the number of people being allowed into shops is being strictly limited.

My colleague Graham Ruddick is in north London at the Lea valley branch:

Jim Durkin of the Bournemouth Echo has tweeted:

Updated

People are queueing outside some branches of Tesco

An idea of what they can expect in the shops:

Updated

In the UK, Tesco is due to open some of its large stores in about 10 minutes.

If you are planning some shopping today on the high street or at a supermarket, remember if you panic buy something you later think better of, you might not be able to take it back. Retailers are only obliged to give you and exchange or a refund if something is faulty, not if you just change your mind. Some do allow people to return goods they simply don’t want, but not always sales items - check what the policy is before you pay.

Some of the stuff in the shops is ordered just for sales - these things are often marked “special purchase” or similar. Bear in mind that they might not be as good a deal as they first look.

How much do you love a bargain? Is it as much as this man, Jarvis Johnson?

He camped out since Sunday to buy 49” TVs for $149.

He’s already got a lot of mod cons, as he showed a reporter on Fox 10:

You can see it here.

In the end, he bought five. He says it was worth it.

Although Black Friday is seen by many as harmless fun there are plenty of reminders that things can turn sour. The New York Daily News has put together a list of some really dreadful things that have happened on previous Black Fridays, including the death of a shop worker in a stampede in 2013.

In the UK, a survey by shopworkers’ union Usdaw found half of staff were abused last year and 10% were attacked. Black Friday definitely has an ugly side.

For those who don’t just want to avoid Black Friday but actively protest against consumerism, Friday is also Buy Nothing Day. As well as keeping your wallet closed all day, the campaign has produced a poster you can display and suggests people organise free events to celebrate.

On Thursday, Michelle McGagh wrote about how she was planning to stop spending for a whole year:

I’m not the first person to attempt this. There is a growing movement of people who are turning their back on consumerism and purchasing possessions in favour of buying experiences and travelling the world. In the US, the Minimalists have encouraged people to live with less, while in Canada Cait Flanders – who blogs at Blonde on a Budget – transformed her finances with a shopping ban. In the UK, Kath Kelly lived on just £1 a day for a year in order to buy her brother a lavish wedding gift.

These people have encouraged me to look at what I consume and take control of my money, as well as given me hope that a spending ban won’t mean a year sat indoors. They didn’t live like hermits for a year, they found new ways to entertain themselves, pushed themselves out of their comfort zones and enhanced their lives.

US crowds 'good but not great', says analyst

Reuters says crowds to brick-and-mortar shops in the US have been subdued, although online sales have jumped.

It quoted Craig Johnson, president of analysts Customer Growth Partners: “It’s still early, and from what we are seeing so far the crowds are good but not great.”

That’s not to say that there haven’t been queues - or that some things haven’t flown off the shelves, as the following tweets show.

And more bargain bears (don’t worry, he doesn’t get left there):

In New York, Jana Kasperkevic has braved Toys R Us, where shoppers were taking advantage of deals on Lego and other favourites:

For some families, shopping after Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday evening or Friday morning is a family tradition. There is no place where that is more evident than Toys R Us in New York city’s Time Square.

Despite security analysts saying earlier today on CNN that the area is a soft target for future terrorist attacks, the streets were full of tourists and shopped at 8pm local time.

Inside Toys R Us shoppers hurried, some pushing strollers, some dragging their offspring by hand and others on a mission without their children, determined to buy their Christmas presents without them.

Also among the crowd were dancers from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, wearing sweatshirts with names of their dance teams, groups and marching bands. The line for the cash register on the ground floor was about 10 people long at most times.

And while it seemed that no many left the store empty handed, some of the youngest shoppers did not get the things they wanted and they were sure to let everyone know by crying at the top of their lungs.

Updated

Some more photos from Macy’s flagship store in New York, showing just how many shoppers were out and about on Thursday evening.

Customers shop in Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square on Thursday evening.

Despite the late hour, it seems there must be people shopping for bargains online as the Tesco website is stumbling occasionally.

My colleague Dan Thompson says that the shops that were open in Manchester tonight were quieter than expected:

It’s all gone quiet in Manchester - with the early Black Friday rush over. The only shops offering deals in the city centre on Thursday evening were two branches of Game in the Arndale centre. While around 100 shoppers queued to get into the stores ahead of their 9pm opening times, both were largely deserted by 1am.

Lindsay Stewart, senior sales assistant at Baby Game, said: “We expected it to be busier than it has been but everyone has been able to get what they want. It’s been good.”

She said the most popular deal was the PS4 FIFA 16 bundle for £299.99 - a saving of £100. Stewart added: “This year it’s cheap and a better choice of games.”

The next Manchester shops to open offering Black Friday savings are the Tesco Extra supermarkets in Stretford and Gorton at 5am.

Some more deals have gone live, including what might be one of the most unusual over at Amazon, where you can save £5 on Psychedelic Salad Kit.

Tesco’s site is up and running, and deals include:

£300 off a Bosch bean to cup coffee maker with milk frother, now at £399.99

£60 off an Apple iPad Air 16GB WiFi, now at £259.99

£50 off a Dyson DC34 handheld vacuum cleaner, now at £99

John Lewis suggests shoppers have been holding out for the sales

Middle England’s favourite retailer has reported “a solid week’s trading”, with total sales up 2.6% on the same week in 2014 at £117.2m. Week-on-week sales were up 6.2%. The growth has been driven by the cold snap, with shoppers suddenly dashing out to buy coats and jumpers: sales of mens outerwear leapt by 16.6%, while sales of winter boots jumped by 24.7% and casualwear was up by 23.9%.

“There were clear signs that shoppers were planning ahead for Black Friday discounts,” the retailer said. “Demand for televisions and computers was lower during the week with customers anticipating Black Friday offers.”

The store is price matching other retailers offers. Among the offers now online are:

£30 off an Amazon Fire Kids Edition 7 tablet, now at £69.95

£300 off a Samsung RSG5UURS American-style fridge freezer, now at £999

£40 off Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H2 on-ear headphones, now at £169

Argos has effectively closed its online shop until 1am:

Its website has crashed several times over the past few weeks as it has launched different rounds of deals. Will enough people still be awake to bring it down tonight?

To New York, where Jana Kasperkevic has been to Macy’s. The store, which was founded back in 1858, sponsors the city’s annual thanksgiving parade (commonly known as Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade).

Up until 2013, it used to open up early morning on Black Friday, but in November 2013, it opened its doors on Thanksgiving at 8pm, then last year it moved that forward to 6pm local time.

At 6:03, there was still quite a crowd waiting to get in through the front door but the side entrance - which had a metal barricade outlining a near path in (just in case a line had to form) - was accessible.

https://twitter.com/kasperka/status/670016296407465984https://twitter.com/kasperka/status/670016296407465984

It’s busy inside:

If you are shopping online in the UK you have the right to change your mind about anything you buy, unless you’ve had an item made to your specification or personalised – say, for example, you have had someone’s name put on a football shirt.

Otherwise, under the consumer contracts regulations you can cancel an order at any point from the day you place it up until 14 working days from the day after it is delivered. You should do so in writing - either a physical letter or an email. You then need to return the goods.

The retailer cannot insist that the items are returned in their original packaging – you are only obliged to make sure the things you bought are returned in reasonable condition. If you had to get them out of the packet to inspect them, that is OK.

The retailer’s terms and conditions should tell you if you are responsible for paying to return an unwanted order, so if you have any doubts before you press “Buy”, make sure you have checked this out. Retailers with a high street presence will often let you take goods back to their stores, which can be much handier than having to queue at the Post Office. If the retailer does not say who is responsible for paying, it will have to stump up the cost.

If you have any problems cancelling an item, Which? has a range of template letters you can use to take on a retailer.

Some of the deals that have gone live or will do at midnight include:

£40 off an iPad Mini 2 16GB (space grey) at Argos, bringing the price to £199

£450 off a Samsung UE55J6300 55” Smart Curved TV at AO, bringing the price to £699

£110 off an Xbox One, games and Now TV bundle from Game, bringing the price to £249.99

Thanksgiving turkey at Apple?

Meanwhile, at the Gap...

Chris Addison raises a glass to Black Friday

With so many stores offering deals early, my colleague Jana Kasperkevic in the US wonders if Black Friday will be quieter this year than last.

The fourth Thursday of each November, which to make is known as Thanksgiving, is in some circles known as Gray Thursday. It’s the younger sibling of the ultimate consumer holiday Black Friday, when many of US stores and retailers offer steep discounts.

Black Friday used to be a huge holiday shopping in the US. That’s right - used to be. Last year, Black Friday sales were down by as much as 11%. As we reported then:

The greatest shopping day of the year wasn’t, according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation, which polled 4,631 consumers and estimated that sales at stores and online dropped by 11%. Sales were $50.9bn, $6.5bn less than 2013, and the overall haul was 6% smaller, with consumers spending, on average, $380.95 each over the holiday weekend.

Could it be that 2015 would continue the trend? It’s very likely considering the fact that many of the discounts that in the past were exclusively available on Black Friday are now often offered days in advance. Radio Shack said it would offer its deals on Wednesday and Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, began offering some deals as early as 20 November - a week in advance.

Updated

America gears up for Black Friday

It may be Thanksgiving in the US today - but that is not stopping more than a dozen major retailers including Macy’s, Target and Kohl’s from opening their doors. Admittedly they’ve left it until about now - after the turkey has been carved (on the East Coast at least).

However, J.C. Penney decided to fling open its doors at 3pm, while Staples has decided to stay closed today. I guess those packs of A4 and plastic sleeves will just have to stay on the shelves.

And for shoppers who just couldn’t wait, Walmart and Target made all the deals on offer in their stores available online this morning.

Updated

You may be wondering “what is all this Black Friday business and where did it come from”. According to my colleague Graham Ruddick, the term was in use as long ago as the 1950s to describe the shopping frenzy that followed Thanksgiving. Amazon brought it to the UK about five years ago, and now many retailers focus their pre-Christmas sales around the date.

Some are offering alternatives this year - booksellers, for example, are planning Civilised Saturday. It involves tea and cake, rather than queuing in the cold, which makes it sound pretty appealing.

Black Friday sales have begun in Manchester

Dan Thompson is in Manchester, where people have already bagged some bargains. He writes:

The Black Friday sales have begun in Manchester - with shoppers queuing for hours to snap up the best deals.

Bargain hunters huddled outside Game in the city’s Arndale centre as the shop opened at 9pm tonight.

First in the queue was tourism student Lisa Ye, 19, who had been waiting for more than three hours to buy a PS4 for her little brother, Jason, at a saving of £120.

She said: “I thought there was going to be a big line so I came early and there wasn’t!”

Physics student Liam Gittins, 20, bought the same console shortly after.

He said: “I’m quite a big gamer and the PS4 was quite expensive when it came out so Black Friday has given me the opportunity to get one.

“I’m not a big fan of all the commotion but I suppose that’s what comes with big sales. This has been decent though. In America it’s crazy. There were no elbows in the face here.”

Game store manager Gary Lloyd said last year’s Black Friday sale was ‘absolute mayhem’ and he expected this year’s to be even bigger.

He added: “The whole country is more aware of it now. It was quite new last year and retailers didn’t really know what to expect.”

Lloyd said he thought the store’s best deal was £100 off an XBOX.

Updated

My colleague Julia Kollewe has put together this guide to Black friday sales in the UK - so if you’re still undecided about staying up/setting the alarm for 4am tomorrow, this might help you make up your mind.

We’re not expecting the same kind as scenes as last year, when fights broke out at 1am because most of the retailers are scaling things back a bit. The main supermarkets will only start opening from 5am on Friday, and while there has been a lot of advertising, there isn’t the same level of pre-sales hype this year.

Welcome to our Black Friday blog

Hello and welcome to our Black Friday blog.

It’s been a tradition in the US for a while, and it’s now taken off in the UK too - an annual opportunity to buy your Christmas presents at bargain prices, snap up a cut-price TV for yourself in time for the festive specials, or have a fight with a stranger in a supermarket.

We’ll be pulling together the latest deals, bringing you any news from the high street and online, and, with your help, compiling a list of the worst “bargains” out there. Let me know what you’ve spotted, what you hope to buy - or if you plan to stay as far away from it all as possible.

 

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