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What is Black Friday 2017? When is it? And where can I get the best deals in the UK?

Shopping frenzy: Black Friday in London: Getty Images
Shopping frenzy: Black Friday in London: Getty Images

Black Friday has arrived - the time has come! Retailers all over the country are offering fantastic discounts on your favourite items.

Last year, shoppers in the UK spent £5.8bn during the mega-sales weekend – up a staggering 15 per cent from £3.3bn on 2015. This year Brits are set to spend £8bn on deals.

But what is Black Friday? And where can you actually get the best deals? Here's a handy guide on everything you need to know.

What is Black Friday?

Black Friday is the annual shopping extravaganza that first started in America and is the day after Thanksgiving, when retailers would unveil whopping reductions on products ahead of the Christmas period.

Though it was originally a one day event, thanks to the huge success of recent years, many retailers offer sales and deals over the week leading up to it.

Nowadays, customers scrounge both in stores and online to take advantage of the bargains, hence the lengthy queues outside shops and high quantities of traffic on websites.

Shoppers in the UK spent £5.8bn on the 2016 Black Friday sales – an increase of 15 per cent on 2015.

When is Black Friday 2017?

This year, Black Friday will fall on Friday November 24, however Amazon announced that it would be rolling out 10 days of deals as well as a ‘Home of Black Friday Pop Up' in London in aid of the event. Several other retailers have also already announced deals, including Currys PC World and Argos as well as many fashion brands, so there are plenty of bargains to pick up for Christmas already.

Many websites are revealing their Black Friday sales in the lead up before the event date – so keep your eyes peeled.

What time does it kick off?

If you’re shopping online, you can expect most bargains to appear on major retail websites at midnight, while a majority of the UK’s high street retailers will open at 6am to reveal their discounted products. There are, however already plenty of live deals, so make sure you keep an eye on retailers such as Amazon, Argos and Currys for deals as they trickle in.

Where can I shop the best deals?

For many shoppers, online giant Amazon will be the first port of call for some killer deals. The website’s Black Friday 2016 sale – which began 12 days before the official day – featured discounts of up to 87 percent, with double the amount of deals compared to 2015.

John Lewis, Currys and Argos are all amongst retailers expected to be more competitive on prices this year than ever.

Last year, Argos’s BF sales on household appliances were particularly eye-watering. Among the products were a Rangemaster Arleston Ceremic Cooker, built with two separate ovens, down from £699.99 to £499.99 and a Dyson V6 Flexi Cordless Handstick Vacuum Cleaner reduced to £229.99.

If you want to snap up some great gadget bargains, then John Lewis is a no-brainer. The department store’s last Black Friday offerings included the Google Home Smart Speaker, reduced from £127.50 to £77.50.

Hoping to save on toys for Christmas? Amazon, which reportedly sold 100,000 toys in just the first few hours of Black Friday 2016, should have you covered with deals on popular toy brands like VTech and Fisher Price.

Be prepared…

Our final tip is to prepare for a long day. Get a good night’s rest, have your alarm set and fuel up with a hearty breakfast – Black Friday shopping isn’t for the faint-hearted.