Black Friday fails to live up to the panic-buying hype

BLACK Friday kicked off the predicted biggest ever weekend of shopping in the UK yesterday with consumers expected to spend almost £8bn on deals – despite high street stores and shopping centres appearing to be quieter than in previous years.

But despite high street stores appearing quiet, with little sign of the queues that have been seen in previous years, Britons were predicted to spend just under £2.6bn yesterday alone.

In Cardiff, shoppers heading to the Welsh capital’s biggest shopping centre would have been forgiven for expecting crowds of bargain-hunting people to have gathered, but the day of discounts and deals seemed just like any other.

St David’s Shopping Centre’s Pandora store, which is known for attracting big crowds, had put out a rope in a bid to shepherd their estimated lengthy queues into the shop in an orderly fashion, but at around 9.15am yesterday it was hardly needed.

With crowds of shoppers growing throughout the day, the mad-dash panic that people often associate with Black Friday was nowhere to be seen.

Steven Madeley, general manager for St David’s Cardiff, said that part of the reason for a lack of queues was down to discount deals being spread over a longer period of time.

“What was once an American trend, Black Friday soon became extremely popular in the UK,” he said.

“However, over the last couple of years we’ve seen this adapt into a longer period, allowing shoppers to enjoy discounts for not just one day, but for up to a week.

“On the day itself we no longer see a scramble for the best deals, but considered decisions made on purchasing items.”

Mr Madeley said this weekend would be when a lot of people get paid, and for some it could be the last pay-slip before Christmas.

“Shoppers will be keen to take advantage of retailer deals.

“The Black Friday shopping period isn’t just a time to buy gifts, it also provides discounts that aren’t available at any other point, meaning that consumers will make purchases for the home and themselves.”

Speaking yesterday, he added: “It’s been busy in the centre with shoppers enjoying the festive atmosphere, and we expect that to continue throughout the weekend.”