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When is Black Friday 2017? What is it and where to get the best deals?

Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images
Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

Black Friday might be a few weeks away, but getting a head start is a good idea if you’re expecting to bag some of the best bargains.

Last year, British consumers spent £5.8bn over the epic sales weekend – up 15 per cent from £3.3bn on 2015.

Before the frenzy arrives, we’ve put together a handy guide to everything you need to know about Black Friday 2017 to make things easier.

What is it?

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.

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 it?

This year, Black Friday will fall on Friday November 24, however Amazon has announced that it will be rolling out 10 days of deals as well as opening a pop- up store in London in aid of the event.

Many deals should appear online as soon as the store sales kick off, but some websites may reveal their Black Friday sales a few days 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 will, however be deals throughout November, 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 Ultimate Ears UE BOOM 2 Portable Speaker, reduced from £169.95 to £84.95.

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.