High streets face Black Friday sales flop as 11m hunt bargains online

Retailers are braced for a record £2.5billion Black Friday bonanza today – with shoppers queuing outside of stores at 3.50am and 11million bargain hunters expected to head online in search of the best deals.

Keen shoppers have already taken to social media to share their bargains today, with one keen shopper waiting outside a Tesco in Accrington at 3.50am and several others seen hauling wide screen TVs to their cars at Tesco superstores around the UK. 

Hundreds of members of the public were seen queuing outside JD Sports on Oxford Street this morning to hit the Black Friday 30 per cent off event, with many crawling underneath the shutters as staff opened up at 7am.  

Across the midlands, commuters travelling by rail are being advised to plan their journeys as Birmingham braces itself for shopping chaos. 

Last year more than 250,000 people passed through Birmingham New Street station for the pre-Christmas sales – 80,000 more than a usual Friday.

This is expected to be compounded by a Christmas German Market taking place, with workers being warned to expect chaos.

Experts say today’s shopping bonanza could break records – but are a ‘make-or-break opportunity for many UK retailers.’

The rest of Oxford Street west London was a picture of calm, with no queues outside the major stores including John Lewis and Topshop. 

Retailers around the country are pushing the boat out to pull in early festive shoppers – with many stunned shoppers held in online queues as they tried to bag deals overnight. 

An estimated 77 per cent of Black Friday gift purchases will be made on the Internet – compared to just 23% in shops, a PwC survey of almost 2,000 Brits showed.

Website spending will treble compared to an average day, but experts say non-food shops will be quiet.

Online spending will hit £1.1bn today – around three times higher than an average day – a Centre for Retail study for VoucherCodes said.

The £2.53bn predicted spend on the high street an online, 3.4% more than last year, could make Black Friday the biggest ever. 

Although much of the total spend will be spent in bricks and mortar stores, online shopping is driving the increase. 

Last year’s event saw Carphone Warehouse receive an order every 4.3 seconds. 

Meanwhile, John Lewis sales peaked from 6-7am in a pre-work web rush and Currys PC World computer purchases rocketed six times higher than the year before. 

Black Friday had seen shoppers scuffle over bargains in stores in 2014 after the US shopping phenomenon on the day after Thanksgiving arrived in the UK.

But similar scenes aren’t likely this year, analysts suggested.  

PwC said: ‘Black Friday is now an online phenomenon. In-store crowds and queues from the early years of Black Friday have disappeared.

‘Websites spreading deals across more days has reduced the delivery and website complaints of the past.’ 

A spokesman for the Fashion Retail Academy said: ‘2018’s Black Friday was a record-breaker. Retail sales surged to 47% more than their 2017 level, and if this morning’s reports are anything to go by, this year’s sales should trump 2018.

‘This weekend’s shopping extravaganza comes is a make-or-break opportunity for many UK retailers. There are some great discounts to be had, and retailers around the country are pushing the boat out to pull in the early festive shoppers.

‘Last night, stunned shoppers were held in online queues as thousands of eager customers tried to bag the best Black Friday deals.

‘And this morning, shoppers are again out in force on high streets across the country, rifling through the racks in an attempt to bag a bargain. Some shoppers have even taken to social media to show off their discounted purchases.

‘Retailers have done all they can in the last month to draw consumers in, with their discounts, window displays and interactive activities, and fortunately it has paid off.

‘Clothing, personal electronics and household electronics seem to be top of people’s lists this year.

‘We expect spending to continue through the weekend and into early next week for Cyber Monday. With official statistics showing that average wages are rising at more than twice the rate of inflation, shoppers’ spending power has increased – and they are flexing their muscles amid this year’s Black Friday bargains.’

Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the Centre for Retail Research, added: ‘There were fights outside shops a few years ago, but Black Friday is expected to be quiet in stores this year, so shops are not laying on extra staff.’

Meanwhile, the big retail chains said they had brought in extra stock to prepare for the big day.  

Debenhams said: ‘Black Friday will be our busiest online day of the year, with demand almost twice that of our next busiest day.

‘Shopping generally is shifting from stores to online, as footfall data shows, but across the whole year, 80 per cent of our sales are in stores.’

Currys PC World owner Dixons Carphone said: ‘We have more stock than ever and an easy website. We’re confident our customers will find the best Black Friday deal, however they shop.’

How to bag a REAL Black Friday bargain: As a Which? report warns today’s offers may not be what they seem, Femail provides a definitive guide on how to snap up the best (genuine) deals

By Clare Coleman for the Daily Mail 

For those who’ve somehow managed to miss the banners, adverts and all-round hullabaloo, Black Friday — the American post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas discount frenzy that’s been adopted by the British High Street — falls today.

But while once we saw it as a welcome import for getting early festive season deals, cynical marketing tricks and pseudo-bargains have made it even harder for consumers to work out whether these savings are genuine or just sneaky ways of getting us to part with our cash. 

In fact, according to research revealed by consumer champion Which?, that tracked prices for 12 months, a worrying number of last year’s Black Friday ‘deals’ were actually cheaper, or available for the same price, if you’d not bought them on Black Friday.

Which? kept an eye on the prices of 83 products on sale on Black Friday (November 23) last year, from six months before the retail bonanza until six months after.

It looked at deals on big ticket items from retailers, including Currys, PC World, Amazon and John Lewis, and found that only four of the products it researched were cheaper on Black Friday than at any other time in that 12-month period.

Many had been cheaper or the same price on at least one day in the previous six months, and three-quarters were cheaper or the same price at some point in the six months after Black Friday.

Richard Headland, editor-in-chief at Which?, says: ‘We’ve repeatedly shown that the majority of products available as Black Friday ‘deals’ are actually cheaper or the same price at other points in the year.’

Tempting looking discounts on the payday before Christmas are not to be sniffed at. But you need to keep your wits about you to pick your way through the maze and here’s how… 

WATCH OUT FOR THE BIG GUNS JUMPING THE GUNS

This year, many stores, including John Lewis, Boots and Amazon, started running promotions before the big day itself, stretching from last Friday until next Monday, offering shoppers a full ten days to get their hands on cut-price merchandise.

As it happens, research from previous years suggests that many consumers wait until the day itself to be sure they are looking at the full range of options. 

And, far from taking to the streets, most of them spend from the comfort of their homes. 

In 2018, the UK’s online retail association estimated that a staggering £1.49 billion was spent on online deals in the UK on Black Friday, up 7.3 per cent on the previous year.

Some retail giants steadfastly refuse to be drawn into the fray — Marks & Spencer, Selfridges, Ikea and Primark among them. 

But most retailers, from Argos and Superdrug to Monica Vinader and ASOS, are taking part again this year.

Even some that had dropped the practice have come back into the fold.

For three years, supermarket giant Asda did not take part in the promotion after images emerged in 2016 of shoppers fighting over cut-price televisions in its stores. But it has announced a string of discounts this year.

However, according to Which?’s research, when it comes to Black Friday, a deal is rarely all it seems.

While it stresses that none of the retailers taking part are doing anything illegal in the way they’re promoting Black Friday discounts, Which? urges shoppers to beware of being swept up by the marketing frenzy. 

THE AMAZON EFFECT

Amazon is the retailer responsible for bringing us Black Friday in the first place, but according to Which? it is among the worst offender when it comes to deals that don’t quite live up to expectation.

Last year it proudly proclaimed that the Amazon Echo (2nd Gen) was on offer at £54.99, an impressive 39 per cent off. But Which? says it was actually cheaper than that on at least 13 occasions before Black Friday.

Amazon has since challenged the Which? research saying: ‘The claim from Which? with regard to Echo is false and we have made this clear in our response. Amazon customers were not able to buy the Echo (2nd gen) device cheaper before Black Friday 2018.’ 

If you are thinking about making any purchases, Mr Headland suggests visiting pricechecker website uk.camelcamelcamel.com first — you just paste in the link of the item that you’re looking at and it will tell you how the price has changed over time.

Take the Ring Video Doorbell that is retailing for £119 in Amazon’s Black Friday promotion that is currently running. 

CamelCamelCamel shows that a little over a year ago you could have picked it up for £95.20 on the site. Amazon told Which?: ‘We seek to offer customers great value thanks to low prices all year round as well as a number of fantastic seasonal deals events.’ 

HOW TO FOIL THE BLACK FRIDAY SCAMMERS

So what are people looking for when it comes to Black Friday bargains?

According to research carried out by SEMrush, which collects data on internet searches, in October 2019, looking at all the searches in the UK that specified a product and the words ‘Black Friday’, the top ten most commonly searched products were Nintendo Switch, Airpods, PS4, Dyson, Xbox One X, Apple Watch, PS4 Pro, iPad, Xbox one, iPhone 11.

Olga Andrienko, head of global marketing at SEMrush, said: ‘While many are predicting that Black Friday may be slow this year, our information shows that searches [and, consequently, purchases] are likely to be up. It’s tech deals that prove most popular, as people aim for laptops, earbuds and games consoles at knockdown prices.’

With such big ticket items comes a danger of Black Friday scams, according to research from Barclays, which found victims lose an average of £661.

Ross Martin, Barclays head of digital safety, advises: ‘Make sure that you do your research and safety checks to stay ahead of scammers.’

Be wary of deals that look too good to be true and take your time over a purchase. Don’t enter your card details into a website if you don’t see the padlock sign that denotes a secure connection, and keep a close eye on your bank account to spot any fraudulent transactions quickly. 

ARE THE BEST DEALS REALLY FOUND ONLINE?

‘We haven’t spotted any significant differences in discounting between the high street and online on Black Friday,’ stresses Which?’s Mr Headland. But, as he points out, an online purchase can offer better consumer protection.

Most High Street shops offer sales returns, but if you purchase online there’s a cooling-off period within which you can cancel your order. That starts the moment you place the order and ends 14 days from the day you receive your goods.

During that time, you can cancel your order if it hasn’t yet been shipped, or return it unopened (although you may be liable for the cost of returns).

The Which? research shows you can never be sure if your purchase will be cheaper later on. But to get the best deal before Christmas, look for a retailer that will price-match. 

A Currys spokesperson said: ‘We price-match all year and offer increased choice during Black Friday which is when we have the most deals on at once.’

John Lewis said: ‘Our commitment to being Never Knowingly Undersold means that we continuously monitor and match the prices of our high street competitors throughout the year.’

Other retailers offer a fixed percentage discount across everything in the store or on the website. 

While there’s no guarantee these will be great deals, the chances are you’ll be able to get a discount on something you’ve had your eye on, rather than just whatever stock the retailer is trying to shift. 

BUY ONE, GET ONE TREE!

If you are trying to curb your impulse shopping in order to be more eco‑aware, a raft of eco-conscious retailers are determined to turn Black Friday green this year with feel-good incentives. 

Jewellery brand Missoma, has a Black Friday sale in partnership with Tree Sisters, a UK charity that aims to boost tropical reforestation projects. 

Enter BF25 when you buy online at missoma.com and you’ll get 25 per cent off and a forest tree will be planted on your behalf.

All-natural skincare brand BYBI (available at bybi.com and Boots) also pledges to plant ten trees for every BYBI skincare bundle of products purchased between November 28 and December 2. Trees will be planted in the Amazon. 

GENUINE DEALS WITH UP TO 65 PER CENT OFF

MEN’S STYLE 

WOMEN’S STYLE

TOYS

TECH

Black Friday 2019 is finally here! Annual shopping extravaganza hits the UK with Amazon leading the way – and here’s our pick of the deals you can’t afford to miss

After two weeks of build up, Black Friday is finally here. 

As many as 11million British bargain hunters are expected to head online in search of the best deals of the festive season, with discounts available on everything from coffee tables to lipsticks. 

An estimated 77 per cent of Black Friday purchases will be made on the Internet compared to just 23 per cent in shops, according to a survey by PwC released yesterday. 

The combined £2.53billion expected to be spent on the high street and online marks a 3.4 per cent increase on last year and could mean this Black Friday is the biggest Britain has ever seen. 

So to help you make the most of the amazing offers – and to save you the stress of battling high street crowds – FEMAIL has trawled online retailers to find the very best bits around. 

AO.com, Robert Dyas, JD Willaims and Habitat have all come through with incredible reductions. Some are offering as much as 60 per cent off. 

Meanwhile Amazon – which was responsible for bringing US import black Friday to the UK – continues to impress with deals on everything from duvets to power drills.  

BEAUTY & GROOMING 

FASHION & ACCESSORIES

HOUSE & GARDEN 

TECHNOLOGY 

FOR KIDS