Shoppers queue outside Tesco for Black Friday bargains

“As a outcome we are not distracted by the issues other ‘bricks and click’s retailers face on Black Friday and as such we can concentrate our efforts and focus totally on this one channel”. Sensing a populist cause, some members of Parliament, including Jeremy Corbyn, who is now opposition Labour leader, put forward a nonbinding motion in the House of Commons last January railing against large retailers who chose to adopt “the American retail custom of Black Friday”, saying it was an affront to public order and a drain on police resources.

Loraine Jones, general manager at The Mall Blackburn, said: “We are all ready to open the doors to one of the busiest shopping days of the year and we are delighted that so many retailers are taking part”. “It will be interesting to see how many retailers continue it next year”.

Britain’s shopping streets, out-of-town malls and websites will be awash with discounted goods on Friday as shoppers chase “Black Friday” deals in a spending frenzy expected to top last year’s record level.

By the end of the day retail analyst Experian-IMRG predicts that spending online will hit £1.07 billion, a 32% increase on last year’s £810 million, and companies such as John Lewis and Argos have struggled to keep their websites up and running.

“It seems certain that Black Friday will largely be an online event this year”. Plus, you don’t have to wait until Black Friday.

The social platform for sharing retail offers also found that TVs, gaming consoles and toys such as Lego can be found for a fifth less than retail price, while fashion items sell at a 25pc discount on Black Friday.

At Tesco, Britain’s biggest retailer, Black Friday started on its website at midnight.

Retailers with overstocked inventories have little choice but to move product, even if they have to lower prices, even as the need to protect margins and profits grows in a bumpy economic environment.

However, a number of websites including those of John Lewis and Argos struggled to cope with the demand.

More broadly, retailers are downplaying the significance of Black Friday, often still offering the especially steep discounts to lure customers but also on the day before and, in Walmart’s case, online for the first time.

The Tesco Extra store at Gunness, on the outskirts of Scunthorpe, had a special queuing system in place and extra security staff at the ready after experiencing a massive influx of customers a year ago.

“If I see something I like I’ll buy it. Simple as that”, he said.

Below we list locations and opening times for Currys PC World stores in and around Newcastle including those which will open at 6am on Black Friday, November 27.

A year ago saw scuffles over bargains – scenes that are common in the United States, where the marketing tradition began, where customers queue hours before opening times to get first pick of the deals.