Black Friday is almost upon us. Shoppers and retailers across the North East are preparing for one of the biggest sales events of the year, with deals reaching 70% off on Friday November 27.
The main venues throughout the North East include The Bridges in Sunderland, intu Metrocentre in Gateshead and intu Eldon Square in Newcastle.
The Bridges and intu Metrocentre are set to begin the day at 7am, two hours earlier than their usual 9am opening time. Intu Eldon Square plan to open only one hour earlier at 8am.
Supermarkets such as Tesco will open doors to keen shoppers at midnight, whereas Sainsbury’s plan to open later at 6am.
Morrison’s have taken an alternative route and initiated “Black Five Days”, where the Black Friday deals are spread through a whole week.
ASDA, however, will not be participating in this years Black Friday event, after it was first introduced in 2013. The retailer announced it was taking a step back due to ‘shopper fatigue’.
The move could be related to last year’s Black Friday sales at the supermarket, where video footage of customers fighting over electrical goods went viral.
The Centre for Retail Research estimates Black Friday sales to reach £1.39 billion in total.
Black Friday is an American tradition, taking place on the Friday after Thanksgiving. It allows retailers to offer discounts in the run-up Christmas. The sales are notoriously busy throughout the world and, in some cases, can turn violent.
In recent years the UK has decided to adopt this tradition, but it has also gained popularity as the last payday before Christmas.
