Analysts are waiting to discover if the Black Friday sales will be a shot-in-the-arm for the UK economy or a bit of a damp squib.
Early signs are that the crowds have been smaller and rather more subdued than last year, when there were widespread reports of queueing and confrontations at stores.
Eager to avoid further outbreaks of disorder this time around, many retailers have increased security and it’s thought that far more shoppers will look for bargains online.
Overall it is still predicted that more money will be spent in the UK today than in 2014 – the first year that British retailers embraced what has previously been an American tradition.
But it remains to be seen if the day continues to grow in popularity or is ultimately dropped.
Some of those sceptical about the benefits argue that last year’s sales served only to distort spending over the Christmas period rather than provide an additional boost.
James Miller, senior retail consultant at Experian Marketing Services, said: “There is little doubt Black Friday has dramatically changed the way people shop in the run-up to Christmas and has created an expectation of deep discounts that arguably did not exist before.
“While Black Friday offers the potential for a short blast of extra sales volume, this will be at the expense of margins during the most crucial period of the trading year.”
Paul Green, Tryzens’ business development manager, said: “Black Friday makes little sense in the UK.
“Without Thanksgiving, the event’s focus point, the decision to concentrate so many resources and discounts on a Friday in November seems arbitrary at best and significantly disruptive at worst.”
