Slack Friday? Shops braced for record Black Friday rush find little need for crowd control

Britain's shops may be braced for the biggest shopping day of the year but the early-morning push for cut-price products was surprisingly quiet at some stores across the UK.

The predicted record one-day spend of £1.97 billion on pre-Christmas deals online and in-store will see shops including Tesco and John Lewis keep their doors open for extended hours.

But the scenes of shoppers scrambling for entry was notably absent at some of the country's biggest shops anticipating the annual rush.

Only two shoppers awaited entry as ITV News filmed the 7am opening at Debenhams' landmark Oxford Street store.

The underwhelming openings were underlined by a solitary shopper standing outside Tesco Extra in Manchester where security barriers had been erected to cope with the anticipated crowding.

He was joined by a handful of others before the shopping hours began at 5am.

A handful of shoppers mingled before entering Manchester's Tesco Extra at 5.00am. Credit: PA
Cut-price electricals were among the first purchases but scenes of consumer battles for TVs were absent. Credit: PA
Barely a dozen shoppers queued easily at a Tesco Extra in south London that saw Black Friday rioting two years ago. Credit: PA

A Tesco Extra in south London that saw rioting between Black Friday shoppers two years ago greeted around a dozen people upon opening, despite hiring festival-style security barriers to deal with the onslaught of bargain hunters.

Cordial scenes of early morning purchases of TVs, vacuum cleaners and video games were also seen at Tesco Extra's store in Enfield, north London.

Almost all of the high street's biggest names are embracing Black Friday this year, with some such as Tesco and John Lewis offering extended opening hours, though much of the rush for spending is expected to take place online.

A handful of shoppers awaited opening at Glasgow's PC World megastore. Credit: PA

John Lewis said it was taking five orders every second online with a spike between 8am and 8.30am as people bought on their way to work.

The Currys PC World website reported its "highest ever" number of orders - up 40% on last year - as more than half a million people rushed to the site before 6am.

By mid-morning, shoppers on social media were reporting problems as they attempted to purchase goods online.

High street shops New Look and River Island, and online retailer Missguided, were crashing as consumers rushed to buy.

The global shopping event, which began in the US as a traditional sale following Thanksgiving, is expected to see a 16% rise in online spending in the UK compared to last year's Black Friday.