Black Friday UK 2014 vs 2013: Live graph reveals how insane this year’s frenzy is as more retailers get on board
Is it us, or has Black Friday gone crazy this year? There have been reports of punch-ups at supermarkets and even someone breaking their wrist in the clamour to get hold of a cheap telly.
And as if we didn't already need a reminder of the sheer American-ness of it all, Asda has laid on cheerleaders. In fact, all our British favourites have got involved: from Tesco to John Lewis, from Sainsbury's to Currys, it's official – this year, Black Friday has taken the UK by storm.
How much by storm? Postcode Anywhere, which allows online retailers to "auto-complete" address forms when the customer types in their postcode, has produced this live graph showing just how seriously UK shoppers are taking it. The chart will keep refreshing all day – but it shows that at 11am, 41,000 postcode "look-ups" ran through its systems – more than twice the figure for the same time last year. Keep checking back all day to see how insane today's spending bonanza really is.
The company also published data showing where the UK's most prolific shoppers are. The answer? Birmingham, apparently. That's followed by Belfast, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle. Perhaps Londoners are too busy and important to waste their time at the shops….