Eager online shoppers have been left frustrated after websites crashed as thousands scrambled to bag bargains overnight on Black Friday.
Popular retailers’ websites were showing an error message as spenders attempted to get an early look dramatically reduced prices before shops opened this morning.
Frustrated customers described being “locked out” of websites as they hunted for sale items online to avoid the expected mad rush in stores.
One shopper trying to access GAME’s website overnight shared a screenshot on Twitter showing that he was behind more than 10,000 others trying to access the site.
The Black Friday Queue on Game's website ?? pic.twitter.com/5r75RkMF3D
— Yubaba's Baby (@Technikyle) November 22, 2018
Another shared her frustration as it appeared she was shown a holding page as she tried to use department store Debenhams site.
The message told her she was placed in a queue as the website was experiencing a “high amount of visitors”.
Ciara, who was trying to access the same site and shared an image of the same error message, wrote on the social media: “and the Black Friday madness has started. A queue to get onto a website.”
I can't believe I have to queue online. #BlackFriday #Debenhams pic.twitter.com/prScLD13kY
— Summar (@Yifrenia) November 22, 2018
Another wrote: “I can’t believe I have to queue online!”, with another saying: “I thought the point of online shopping was to avoid the queues.”
More than two-fifths of shoppers in the UK are planning to spend in the Black Friday sales today amid warnings not to “get carried away by the hype”.
Some 42 per cent of Britons are looking forward to the event, and 22 per cent are specifically looking to buy Christmas presents – while 25 per cent are intending to shop on Cyber Monday, a survey by KPMG suggests.
Paul Martin, UK head of retail at KPMG, said: “Retail performance throughout the year has been dreary to say the least, and we’ve certainly had a shaky start to the all-important ‘golden quarter’.
“Retailers will naturally be keen to make the most of these events, and our survey would certainly suggest that consumers are gearing up for it.”
However, consumer group Which? said its over-arching message to shoppers this year was to not feel pressured into spending after finding that nine in 10 Black Friday deals last year were the same price or even cheaper at other times of the year.
It has urged consumers to be careful not to buy on impulse and instead research products and prices before spending in the sale.
Early indications suggest that Black Friday spending will dip for the first time this year since its arrival in the UK.
Consumers will spend £2.4 billion on deals in stores and online, down from last year’s £2.6 billion, according to the predictions from the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) and VoucherCodes.co.uk.
Share Your Comments