For Black Friday

Shopping event set to be one of the year’s busiest

Black Friday started in the US but has become popular across the UK — and the City of Discovery is no exception.

Shoppers eager to pick up a bargain are expected to queue up outside stores tomorrow.

Tesco’s three Extra stores on South Road, Kingsway West and Riverside Drive will close at midnight tonight and reopen at 5am tomorrow to give staff time to get the stores ready.

The supermarket giant has been tight-lipped about its in-store deals — but online offers include big discounts on laptops, sat navs and tablets.

Morrisons introduced its deals on Monday — but tomorrow the Fintry branch will call upon its own in-store “strong person” to help shoppers with their heavier goods.

They’re sure to have their work cut out for them — with offers including five-litre kegs of beer, a 1.2kg chocolate gateau and a 7kg leg of Serrano ham for £28.

The Overgate will open for extended hours — from 8am to 8pm — to allow shoppers to make the most of their bargains.

Several stores in the Wellgate are also taking part, including New Look, The Perfume Shop and The Entertainer — ideal for those after this year’s most desirable toys.

Outside of the shops, the Malmaison hotel will sell a £50 gift voucher for its in-house restaurant for half price.

However, Asda is not taking part this year — as the event has been deemed to “unsafe”.

A spokesman for the supermarket said: “We’re not doing anything special for Black Friday. In previous years, it was too busy and unsafe. It is a nationwide decision but we expect the stores to be busy as normal like any other Friday.”

Police Scotland has warned shoppers to behave themselves when out bargain hunting.

Two years ago, Tesco’s Kingsway Extra store was forced to close after the crowd began fighting over discounted TVs and other electronics.

However, last year the scenes outside the stores were notably quieter.

Supt Graeme Murdoch of Tayside Division has warned that similar behaviour to that of 2014 would not be tolerated.

He said: “We work closely with retailers in the city centres and retail parks across Tayside to support them in preparing for Black Friday and officers will intervene if necessary to ensure public safety. Anyone caught committing an offence will be charged and reported to the procurator fiscal.” He also warned shoppers keen to seek out a bargain online to be aware of scams and fraudulent activity adding: “Make sure your web browser and internet security is up to date. Check the website payment page is secure and look out for the padlock in the address line before you enter any bank card details. “Shop with a reputable trader with a return policy because sometimes a bargain online is too good to be true.” Meanwhile, legal firm DAS Law has assembled some tips on how to make the most of Black Friday. These include checking store return policies before buying and remembering that online purchases have more rights than those made in-store.

SHOPS across the city are getting ready for one of the busiest days of the year.