Tech News: Black Friday panic! Stores slash prices by up to 80 per cent to win over shoppers – Daily Mail

Stores are slashing prices by up to 80 per cent for Black Friday to win over shoppers who have grown suspicious of cut-price deals.

Tomorrow is the biggest sales push of the year for TVs, tablets, smart speakers and household appliances, but the best deals are expected to be on fashions.

A mild autumn means stores are sitting on a mountain of woollens, coats and boots which they are desperate to shift.

Retailers are under pressure to show the savings claimed are genuine after warnings from consumer groups that tech deals are often not what they seem. 

But savings on fashion items, which have a short seasonal life and must be sold or dumped, are more likely to be the real deal. It comes amid a squeeze on consumer spending, with experts saying this could be the first Black Friday not to lead to an increase in sales.

The tradition, named after stores’ desire to be ‘in the black’, started in the US to mark the Friday after Thanksgiving. 

Amazon has driven its UK adoption, but sites such as Boohoo are offering up to 80 per cent off. John Lewis and Currys PC World lead the frenzy among traditional chains.

Black Friday has morphed from a single day into three weeks of offers. Total spending on the day itself last year was £2.4billion, but researcher David Jinks of delivery firm ParcelHero said: ‘This year we believe disillusioned online shoppers will join high street shoppers in losing interest in Black Friday, leading to no overall growth for the first time.’