HIGH Streets face Slack Friday tomorrow — as 11million bargain hunters shop online.
Black Friday spending is tipped to hit £2.5billion, up £83million or 3.4 per cent on last year.
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Website deals will account for £1.1billion — three times more than an average day, says a Centre for Retail Research (CRR) study for VoucherCodes.
The £1.4billion in-store spend will mostly be on supermarket food rather than gifts.
In all, 77 per cent of Black Friday purchases will be online.
Prof Joshua Bamfield, of the CRR, said: “Stores will be quiet this year and are not laying on extra staff.”
Black Friday spread to the UK from the US in 2010.
Accountants PwC, which surveyed 2,000 Brits, added: “In-store crowds and queues from the early years have disappeared.
“Black Friday is now an online phenomenon.
“Websites spreading deals across more days has also reduced the complaints of the past.”
Last year saw Carphone Warehouse receive an order every 4.3 seconds, John Lewis web sales peak from 6-7am, and Currys PC World computer purchases rocket six times more than 2017.
This year Currys is ready with record stocks for customers.
Debenhams expects demand to be double its next busiest day.
