Many have joined their American counterparts by snatching up the latest deals on Thursday as Black Friday festivities kicked off in the early morning.
Across the UK, Northern Ireland will become the top hotspot for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, with London a close second. 61 percent of Eastern Englanders and 60 percent of Southeastern residents said they were not interested, according to a consumer survey report from UK accountancy firm Pricewaterhousecoopers.
Londoners will be the biggest spenders, with one in ten splashing out £1,000 this season. On average, Londoners plan to spend £372 on big sales, followed by Northeast England at £279 and Yorkshire at £239.
Astonishingly, 65 percent of men planned to buy for themselves, with 68 percent of women choosing to spend for their families.
"For some categories, Black Friday is becoming more important than Christmas; most notably electricals, but also fashion, toys and beauty," the report concluded. "While some retailers have announced that they will not be participating in any discounting over this period, they risk their customers walking (or clicking) straight past to their competitors"
READ MORE: Black Friday Fights in US Shopping Malls Becoming Thing of Past — Analysts
Good Morning Twitter Land,Happy Friday Y'all.#blackfridayuk. pic.twitter.com/OUdQk7PhsZ
— MINE'S A PINT 🍺🍺 (@DRM_469) November 23, 2018
I think it's a real shame that Black Friday has become so commercial these days. We've lost its true meaning, which is to push an old lady over to get at a slightly discounted TV. 🙁#BlackFridayUK
— Phlegm Clandango. (@Cain_Unable) November 23, 2018
Black Friday Films #blackfridayuk #BlackFriday2018 #BlackFriday pic.twitter.com/2yOcEzHVF7
— HappyToast ★ (@IamHappyToast) November 23, 2018
In the good ole days we wrote letters to Santa with crayons..
— 💫🌙✨kathy💫🌙✨ (@kathyhyoung2) November 23, 2018
I was just emailed a spreadsheet.
#BlackFriday2018 pic.twitter.com/sjoL2pYcK9
It’s #BlackFriday2018, so get out there and consume! Consume! It’s all life’s about and all you’re good for!
— God (@TheTweetOfGod) November 23, 2018
Happy #BlackFriday2018 pic.twitter.com/VXWNkGF28p
— Eric Alper (@ThatEricAlper) November 23, 2018
Politics became a big platform for Black Friday discussions, as the GMB, one of Britain's largest trade unions, slammed Amazon for its substandard treatment of workers.
We're staging #BlackFriday protests across the UK in anger at the awful conditions people work under at @Amazon warehouses.
Workers are breaking bones, being knocked unconscious and being taken away in ambulances.Make sure people see this. Hit retweet 👇#AmazonWeAreNotRobots pic.twitter.com/pBT1ksFgdG
— GMB UNION (@GMB_union) November 23, 2018
Brexit was also a hot topic for "getting the best deal for Britain".
My favourite #BlackFriday2018 meme pic.twitter.com/G2hp7Iwxr9
— Aadam Burt (@Aadamburt) November 23, 2018
Black Friday originates in the United States and is the first Friday after Thanksgiving. The phrase was first used in the 1960s due to the chaos shoppers caused, but later became associated with companies making a profit, or moving from the ‘red' into the ‘black'.