Black Friday Deals Live Blog - The Best UK Specials on Smartphones, Tablets, Apple and more

Saturday 29 November

5.57pm: Top-of-the range digital camera deals at an affordable price. Many professionals regard the Nikon as the ultimate in the photographic stakes. To bag a real deal, Currys is selling the NIKON D3200 DSLR Camera with 18-55 mm + 55-200 mm Telephoto Zoom Lens for £339.00, down from £399.99.

4.59pm: Black Friday was the busiest day of all time for online retailer Amazon UK, with sales that "surpassed all expectations", according to the company. The website recorded orders for more than 5.5 million goods, with about 64 items sold per second.

Amazon said the public's appetite for Black Friday was "bigger than ever". In 2013 more than 4 million items were sold, a record at the time, but this was beaten just three days later on Cyber Monday.

4.03pm Social e-commerce platform HUKD recorded the highest number of visitors to its site searching for Black Friday deals. The most popular retailers were John Lewis, Argos, Tesco and Sainsbury's. The site revealed that it had three million visits on Thursday.

The hottest deals included Sainsbury's offering a Blaupunkt 40" LED TV at £149.99, the LG G2 that Vodafone offered at £150. PlayStation deals proved popular with the PS4 Drive Club Bundle offered by Tesco for £289, the Sony PlayStation 4 Console in white offered at £299.99 by Rakuten rated and the PS4 with the Last of Us and Drive Club offered at GAME for £299.99.

The deals thread for Black Friday for John Lewis, was rated as '1267.41 hot' and this post was one of the most popular in terms of click through rates with 56,653 clicks being made directly to the John Lewis site from HUKD.

Argos led the way in terms of click through rates to the site from HUKD with 106,633 clicks made from the Argos deals thread, followed by the Tesco deals thread at 66,364 clicks. Other merchants that received the highest number of click through rates from the HUKD website were ASDA, GAME, Sainsbury's, Currys, Vodafone, Debenhams and MandM.

3.04pm: Reputed as one of the best for sound quality, the XS-ENCORE Portable Bluetooth Wireless Speaker is at a knockdown price of £24.99, which was selling for £79.99. Available on Amazon, it's got an intelligent voice prompt, so probably not best to talk to it first thing in the morning.

1.56pm: To stock up on the latest computer games, Greenman Gaming is offering 85% off Darksiders II, 75% off Company of Heroes 2 and 50% off Sleeping Dogs. Plenty of other titles too, if you trawl deeper into the website, some with 90% slashed off the price.

1.09pm: A glut of offers from Voucher Codes including 50% off electrical goods at Debenhams. Bargains for home entertainment include a 12 months half-price TV and multiscreen plus a £50 reward. There's also a 12 months free broadband unlimited with Sky Movies for new customers only, amounting to savings of up to £553.

12 noon: For Black Friday weekend deals, check out I Want One Of Those website, which is offering an extra 22% off, including on a range of Smartphone gadgets such as a Touch Glove for an iPhone, selling for £4.99.

10am: For a good deal on a mobile phone, Carphone Warehouse is offering savings of up to £200. Lowest deals include Sony Xperia X3 for £26.50 per month on 3G, 600 mins, unlimited texts, 1GB data. Sale ends Tuesday 2 December, 11.59pm.

4.50pm: With all the major deals already announced and things beginning to wind down here in the UK, we're going to call it a day. Don't worry though, you won't have to wait until next year for more bargain hunting, as in three days its Cyber Monday. Before that, some retailers are even holding their own sales days. Tomorrow, for example, Asda is holding a 'Green Saturday', whatever that means.

For more Black Friday coverage from IBTimes UK, feel free to check out the links below.

Black Friday

4.25pm: NASA is still going strong with its alternative Black Hole Friday - I just got sucked in to this story about a small galaxy with a big black hole:

4pm: Black Friday may originally be an American tradition but some in the UK still know how to make it uniquely British:

3.30pm: Retailers in the UK and the US are boasting about their sales on Black Friday. Dixons Carphone say that it has made eight sales a second both online and offline. The recently merged company also claims that web traffic is up five times from this time last year - the same figure being banded around by Tesco and Currys PC World.

2.50pm: Cryptocurrency fans, here's some news for you: Bitcoin Black Friday has now officially opened it's website to the public. There are deals on everything from jewellery to t-shirts. See all the deals here.

2.20pm: Sky News Pundit Martin Daubney doesn't seem too happy that it's Black Friday. He claims it's like a UNICEF grain drop.

2.05pm: Police in New York are offering advice to Black Friday shoppers in the Big Apple. The advice includes tips on how to avoid "deception burglaries". Sounds nasty.

1.50pm: Even the world of hip hop is getting into the spirit of Black Friday today, with the lyrical maestro Scroobious Pip running a Black Friday sale at his online Speech Development Records store (Edit - On closer inspection it seems Pip's on the boycott Black Friday buzz):

1.25pm: Of all the major retailers, Tesco has had the worst of the website problems from heavy traffic. Our Senior Features Writer Shane Croucher takes a look at this is just the latest in a series of blunders for Tesco:

1:10pm: Here are a few more Black Friday tech deals, including money off games consoles, televisions and tablets:

Xbox One with Foza + one free game - £299.99 (or £264.99 after Quidco cashback)

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare on Xbox One or PS4 - £29.97

Samsung 40in Smart LED 3D television - £379

Apple iPod touch (5th generation) 16GB - £99

PlayStaytion 4 + GTA V, Watch Dogs, Aliens Isolation and Infamous First Light - £339.99

Apple iPad Air 32GB + two year warranty - £329

12:55pm: If you fancy a smartwatch this Christmas - or know someone who would - then MobileFun is selling the LG G Watch R for £199.99, which is a £25 discount from the regular price.

Alternatively, the Jawbone Up fitness band has been reduced from £100 to £39.99.

The website also has Black Friday discounts on speakers, chargers, cases, screen protectors, headphones and more.

12:45pm: Phone network EE also saw a major increase in traffic, as customers went shopping on their smartphones and tablets. It said network traffic was up 25% compared to normal.

12:40pm: Tesco has finally issued a statement about why its website was offline for 11 hours this morning.

A spokesperson said: "Last night we saw five times more customers visiting our website for our Black Friday sale than last year. Due to this massive demand the website was temporarily unavailable but it is now available for customers to use."

12:35pm: Don't forget, today is Mastercard's second Fare Free Friday. Use a contactless Mastercard instead of your Oyster or ticket on any Transport for London service in any zone, and the credit card company will fully refund you.

12:20pm: For Black Friday only, the OnePlus One smartphone - widely regarded by the tech press as a giant killer - can be bought without needing an invitation code for the next 72 hours. The 16GB model is just £190 and the company says all confirmed orders will be delivered in time for Christmas.

OnePlus One 'Giant Killer' Smartphone Available Without Invite Code For 24 Hours

12:15pm: Things seem to be running much more smoothly over at Amazon, where its Fire phone has just been reduced from £399 to £249 - that's without a contract, but it's still locked to O2.

And budget supermarket Aldi is being rather smug, claiming every Friday is Black Friday in its stores.

11:40am: It's Alistair here again and no, finally, I can access the Tesco Direct website. Those Blaupunkt televisions which shoppers are literally fighting over in-store can also be snapped up online. The 50in model costs £249, down from its usual price of £400.

Another deal from Tesco is the PlayStation 4 Driveclub Bundle, which has a £90 saving and for this weekend only costs £289. You can also pick up an iPad Air for £329.

11.05am: Oh dear...

10.58am: According to Big Data Labs, Birmingham is the busiest shopping region as defined by postcodes, just ahead of Belfast and Glasgow. London lies all the way down in eighth.

Read more about it here.

10.45am: Tesco's website is working! For me at least. My colleague Alistair just tried and he's still not having any luck.

Almost 11 hours into Black Friday and Tesco execs will be rueing a missed opportunity here, and they won't be alone. According to research just released by Ampersand, 57% of UK retailers have had problems with their websites, including Argos, Curry's and John Lewis.

"Black Friday in the UK is a gimmick which has caused over half of major UK retailers' websites to crash or have issues today," said Darryl Adie, MD of Ampersand. "This is indicative that even the largest retailers have not fully equipped themselves with IT contingency plans, which will have a knock-on effect on customer services.

"To cope with the pressures of bigger peaks in trading across all channels, such as on Black Friday, retailers need to optimise across all multichannel operations including IT, logistics and customer services."

10.20am: Our Picture Editor David Sim has put together an excellent photo gallery of some of the Black Friday action, together with some other events from around the world. It includes protests, parades and of course police. You can check it out here:

9.50am: There is apparently an "e-waste explosion" that results from low cost TVs, laptops and other gadgets being on offer on Black Friday. Our Science Editor Hannah Osborne takes a closer look:

9.30am: With Black Friday well underway in the UK, those in the US will just be beginning to take advantage of some of the midnight store openings. Unfortunately for some, it looks like Walmart workers in the US are planning to stage a series of strikes. This is presumably in protest of the fact that the lowest paid workers have had to resort to charity to pay for their Thanksgiving dinner.

9.05am: If you're still wondering how to go about getting the best deals, fear not. Our very own Alfred Joyner has made a video offering some handy tips to help you get the most out of Black Friday:

8.50am: Over in the US Ferguson protesters are targeting Walmart and Macy's in a boycott movement to "Black Out Black Friday". Our News Editor Lianna Brinded reports:

8.25am: It may be Black Friday for those of us here on Earth, but for NASA it's the second annual Black Hole Friday.

Thanks Alistair, I (Anthony) will be taking over here for the next few hours. Right after I've made myself my morning cuppa.

8:05am: This video from Facebook was apparently taken at a branch of Tesco in Nitshill, Glasgow and uploaded at around 1am this morning. [CONTAINS SOME STRONG LANGUAGE at 40 seconds]

7:40am: If you had any doubts that the UK's embracing of Black Friday was making us all terribly American, then fear not, because Walmart-owned Asda has taken things much further.

They have cheerleaders

7:35am: We now understand that police were called to seven branches of Tesco in Manchester alone, and also to a branch in Cardiff where queues began at 6pm ahead of the midnight opening. The general consensus is that the number of shoppers at each store was widely underestimated. It seems this issue is shared by other supermarkets, too, both online and offline.

7:21am: Branches of Sainsbury's which aren't open 24 hours will open at 8am for Black Friday. Below is a tweet from store staff in Bolton, showing a pile of discount TVs ready to be snapped up by shoppers.

7:20am: Argos is now working (for me at least) and here's an idea of what's on offer:

7:07am: At times like these, remember to spare a thought for those running the social media accounts. Here's Tesco's:

7:06am: Tesco's Black Friday website is still not letting me in, by the way. I've been trying for over an hour.

7:05am: Trouble has also been reported at the Baguley branch of Tesco in Manchester.

7:00am: Argos is also employing an online queueing system, whereby shoppers cannot enter the website until others have left. The retailer said: "To ensure everyone can enjoy the best shopping experience, we're limiting the number of additional visitors entering the site at the moment.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please try again in a few minutes."

But perhaps more importantly, Argos has included on its apology page a tweet claiming former Superman actor Christopher Reeve once stood outside Argos HQ in 1983. Your move, Tesco.

6:50am: Greater Manchester have just tweeted to say that two people have been arrested at Black Friday sales this morning, and they are urging shoppers to keep calm.

6:45am: But of course where would the British be without a sense of humour?

6:40am: Here are a few tweets from shoppers and staff who claim some violence was seen in stores across the UK last night.

6:30am: John Lewis' Black Friday site is now fully online, having teased what would be on offer yesterday. It includes discounts on iPads, MacBooks, televisions, coffee machine, speakers and more. You can pick up an iPad Air (the first one, mind) for £319 - that's £10 cheaper than Apple, who isn't bothered with Black Friday in the UK this year, and John Lewis includes a free two-year warranty on all electrical goods.

6:28am: Meanwhile, the London Met police were also called to branches of Tesco in Edmonton, Willesden and Surrey Quays, and an Asda in Edgware due to large crowds gathering outside. No arrests were made, a Scotland Yard spokesperson said.

6:21am: Manchester police say they attended disturbances at five stores during the night, with one arrest made in Irlam, Salford. Police were also called to Tesco branches in Walkden and Stretford over concerns of disorder.

6:17am: Currys PC World is operating an online queueing system, whereby you wait to be allowed access to the site. We had to wait for about five minutes, but have since been able to browse to our heart's content.

6:15am: Here's another video, this time apparently recorded in a Tesco in Slough. We can only apologise for the owner not turning his phone on its side, but you get the idea.

Apparently massive TVs, panic and general discomfort are high on everyone's lists this Christmas.

6:10am: Things don't look much better for Tesco offline either, with this YouTube video showing huge crowds of shoppers at a Blackpool branch of the supermarket.

6:05am: The bad news is that, after being unavailable for much of the night since it launched at midnight, Tesco's Black Friday website is STILL unavailable. We've been trying for a good 15 minutes, our browser endlessly auto-refreshing, and we can't get in.

6:00am: Good morning everyone, Alistair here with a strong coffee and ready to talk you through what's happening after a night of crashing websites and clashing shoppers.

1.30am: Anyway, that's it from me (David) for the moment, Alistair will be back online at 6am to update you on all things Black Friday and who knows, Tesco's website may even be accessible by then.

Night all, and be safe out there (especially if you are in a Tesco store in Dundee apparently)

1.21am: Tesco's Back Friday website is, yep, still unavailable, but at least the nice people there are now giving me this nice splash page.....I feel so wanted

1.15am: Sainsbury's has revealed its Black Friday deals but they are in-store only, so you'll have to get yourself down to your local store if you want to grab one of the deals - and you need to be quick as it's limited stock:

1.10am: And Argos is back online. Here are some of the deals we've seen:

• Xbox One Fifa Bundle - £299 plus £10 voucher
• Toshiba C50 Laptop - £249 + £20 vouchers (down from £399)
• 16GB iPad Air - £299 + £20 vouchers (down from £319)
• Dyson DC19T2 Bagless Vacuum Cleaner - £149 + £20 vouchers (down from £299)
• TomTom Start20

1.05am: According to one report on Twitter, the police have shut down one Tesco store in Dundee because of fighting....

1.02am: Looks like Argos has used the same hosting services as Tesco as its Black Friday deals page, which went live at 1am is already struggling...

12.55am: While people have been unable to access Tesco's website, in the real world there are similar problems...

12.50am: Elsewhere there are dozens of bargains to be had and the good people over at Hot UK Deals have been scouring the internet to find them. Here are just some of the more interesting ones:

• Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini for £59.00 from Asda
• Alien Anthology (4 Disc Blu-Ray) - £10.00 from Play.com
• PS Dualshock 4 - £29.99 from Game
• Nokia Lumia 530 PAYG - £14.95 at Carphone Warehouse

12.42am: Still no luck with Tesco's website, but in 18 minutes we'll find out if Argos and/or Sainsbury's have put better measures in place to make sure more people can access their websites...fingers crossed

12.27am: So, the Black Friday Deals website from Tesco remains inaccessible at the moment but John Lewis is back online it has tonnes of deals available. Here is a selection of some of the deals:

• £100 off MacBooks and iMacs
• Nokia Lumia 2520 Windows Tablet - £199 (down from £399)
• Beats Mixr Headphones - £149 (25% off)
• Nest Thermostat - £194 (down from £179)

12.20am: Amazon on the other hand is well able to cope, and it has announced some new deals at midnight some of which which you can see below:

• Amazon Fire TV - £69 (down from £79)
• Amazon Fire Phone - £249 for 32GB model with a year free Amazon Prome subscription (down from £399)
• Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear Headphones - £85 (down from £129.95)
• X-Men: Days of Future Past (DVD) - £5.99 (down from £10)
• Downton Abbey – Series 1-5 - £29.99 (DVD) and £31.99 (Blu-ray) (Down from £35 and £44 respectively.

12.17am: Tesco's website has crashed immediately so we've been unable to see what the UK retailer has on offer, and we're not alone...

12:00am: It's midnight. It's officially Black Friday. Wishing you bargains galore and hours of spending. I'm getting out of here before the chaos really begins. Good luck everyone! Happy shopping!

11:55pm: And GAME in Stockport wins the prize for the longest queue of customers.

Just like the #blackfriday deals the queue and the anticipation is epic pic.twitter.com/2XoHSs4ibY

— GAME Stockport (@GAMEStockport) November 27, 2014

11:50pm: Victoria's Secret are doing their best to tempt shoppers with the promise of a new tote when you spend $75.

That 2014 #BlackFriday Tote... get it FREE when u spend $75! US/PR/CAN http://t.co/wz7iPirCsg pic.twitter.com/MuY3nNyyND — Victoria's Secret (@VictoriasSecret) November 27, 2014

11:45pm: Admittedly our approach to Black Friday is typically British.

Currys are currently making you QUEUE to get on their website. Wouldn't catch the yanks doing that. Welcome to how England does #blackfriday

— Chris Pleasance (@chrispleasance) November 27, 2014

11:40pm: Some very smug people are having a happy shopping experience.

Just saved over $300 in less than 30 minutes at Belk. #BlackFriday — Kames Davis (@KAMESdavis) November 27, 2014

11.30pm: Jon Goode is ready for battle.

Don't forget your Black Friday sword, shield and armor if you're heading out to the stores #BlackFriday pic.twitter.com/gqwRrMt5B4

— Jon Goode (@GoodeNews22) November 27, 2014

It's like Supermarket sweep lol !! #BlackFriday pic.twitter.com/ouxdckZVyI — DANNY DEARDEN (@dannydeardenuk) November 27, 2014

11:30pm: Meanwhile, Black Friday is bringing out the funny side in everyone, as IBT's own Maria Khan has found out. Twitter is going to town on the UK's Black Friday Hunger Games. I believe everyone is mocking us Brits.

11:25pm: While Gap are promising us the "best Black Friday ever" with 50% off everything if you just quote BLKFRIDAY at the checkout. http://www.gap.com/

11:20pm: Ted Baker would have us dreaming of men's apparel.

Start dreaming of your wardrobe wish list! Ted's giving you 30% off online & in-store #BlackFriday #iwanTED

— Ted Baker USA (@ted_bakerUSA) November 27, 2014

11:15pm: We could learn something from the good folk of Ashwaubenon in Wisconsin, who are shopping in an orderly fashion. They've obviously done this before.

Best Buy in Ashwaubenon is now open. Lots of people coming through the door safely and calmly #BlackFriday #WBAY pic.twitter.com/VdkhZ4SNeN — Patrick Nelson (@PatrickNelsonTV) November 27, 2014

11.00pm: We think JC Penny have the right approach to Black Friday. Dessert!

Celebrate a successful #BlackFriday shopping spree w/ a second piece of pie. Doors open at 5PM http://t.co/LUVW4UARW0 pic.twitter.com/fgqiie0hif

— JCPenney (@jcpenney) November 27, 2014

10.55pm: To the person who has been queuing outside Target from 2.30pm today, when the store opens at 6pm tomorrow ... I really hope it's worth it.

First person in line at #Target has been there since 2:30 pm, store opens at 6 pm #BlackFriday — Julia Bergman (@JuliaSBergman) November 27, 2014

10:50pm: Maison White reckon Black Friday just got better. I'm not convinced. Its crazy out there!

#BlackFriday at http://t.co/5dkEN95S8J 15% off all marked prices. #bargain pic.twitter.com/zumA7GO1p6

— Maison White (@MaisonWhite1) November 27, 2014

10:45pm: Sainsburys are promising us the world!

What's happening tomorrow? It's #BlackFriday! There'll be discounts on dozens of products. Find out more here: http://t.co/prAROOTQFM — Sainsbury's (@sainsburys) November 27, 2014

10:35pm: The British public show us what they're made of with #BlackFriday now trending in the UK, and I'm A Celebrity's Kendra Wilkinson, voted by you for her fifth bush tucker trial - you cruel people! Let's hope everyone hunting for a bargain has better luck than Kendra has getting those stars.

"Trending UK:10:26 PM GMT" 1. Black Friday 2. Kendra 3. #ImACeIeb 4. Jimmy Bullard 5. #MentionPeopleYouAreThankfulFor

— TrendieUK - Trends (@TrendieUK) November 27, 2014

10:25pm: If the shopping frenzy is getting too much, find comfort in the fact that Black Friday is also the day when the new teaser trailer for the next Star Wars movie is released. More exciting than a half price Gameboy or 30% off a Chrimbo woolly jumper.

The Force is with you on #BlackFriday when #TheForceAwakens teaser hits @iTunesTrailers.

— Star Wars (@starwars) November 26, 2014

10:20pm: GAME stores across the country are in full on Black Friday mode. In Caerphilly they are getting all excited about their Call Of Duty giveaways.

#CallOfDutyAdvancedWarfare #360 & #Ps3 only £24.99 live midnight #BlackFriday pic.twitter.com/ngqmvW56rL @xboxuk @PlayStationEU #caerphilly — GAME Caerphilly (@GAMECaerphilly) November 27, 2014

10:15pm: Tesco are counting down till their big event kicks off. They seem very confident.

T-minus two hours until mega #BlackFriday deals go live on http://t.co/B8cMQXcMx6. Get your bargain-hunting on. pic.twitter.com/BrHghDzn0Q

— Tesco (@Tesco) November 27, 2014

9:55pm: Reports now circulating that the Currys and Amazon websites are down due to the massive volume of traffic. And it's not even Friday yet!

9:50pm: Meanwhile, The Good Food Company have us thinking about Christmas, with festive gifts of food hampers on offer.

#foodandgift #Food Our pre-order hampers are down in price on our web site http://t.co/Tsm9snKPhL #BlackFriday pic.twitter.com/kMNRXaoSzJ

— TheGoodFood&WineCo (@GoodFoodWineCo) November 27, 2014

9:45pm: Currys is really sorry for making you wait.

Evening all, sorry for the website queues! Pls try http://t.co/2waUGmdoNE or visit your local store early so you don't miss out #BlackFriday — Currys & PC World (@curryspcworld) November 27, 2014

9:40pm: And while online shopping has its advantages, as a lot of people are finding, there's a bit of a wait..!

What the....... ! #blackfriday pic.twitter.com/fXjQJ2GFA5

— Martin McGrath (@macbhx) November 27, 2014

9:35pm: Set your alarms everyone. Debenhams opens its online doors at 5am with the promise of bargains galore ...

#BlackFriday is on its way! You can shop our deals online from 5am tomorrow! Miss it miss out http://t.co/mw5B3agfQd pic.twitter.com/5Ucg5Kpnpy — Debenhams (@Debenhams) November 27, 2014

9:15pm: #BlackFriday is trending in Canada. When the weather's this cold what else are you gonna do but shop!

"Trending Canada:05:10 PM AST" 1. #BlackFriday 2. Happy Thanksgiving 3. #BurnabyMountain 4. #MentionPeopleYouAreThankfulFor

— TrendieCA - Trends (@TrendieCA) November 27, 2014

9:10pm: Stores are slashing their prices to mark Black Friday, with 30% off at the Replay Store in Glasgow and shopstudio15.com, while Chiq26 Boutique are taking a massive 50% off everything!

Enjoy our Mega Sale now! Coupon Code T50! #BlackFriday #Thanksgiving #SupportBlackBusinesses #supportsmallbusinesses pic.twitter.com/lr7sZoQ27y — Chiq26 Boutique (@Chiq26Boutique) November 27, 2014

9:05pm: Here's one for anyone planning their big day. 25% of your wedding package with Home Made Events. The perfect reason for popping the question.

devon wedding planning & hire company getting into the #blackfridaydeals 25% off package and hire prices #ExeterHour pic.twitter.com/c9cqNi2WtO

— Homemade-events (@homemadeevents1) November 27, 2014

8:40pm: While you celebrate bagging a bargain spare a thought for the UK Firms who are expected to losing £117m as workers buy online. Check out IBTimes's own Ian Silvera's fascinating insights into the wider implications of Black Friday on the economy.

8:35pm: If you're planning to get to the front of the queue, the only way is to brave the cold and sleep on the pavement to beat the rush. Gitte Laasby ‏@GitteLaasbyMJS shows us how its done

Appropriate #BlackFriday shopping attire when it's 23 degrees and you're camping out for two days pic.twitter.com/Db9fudgyqw

— Gitte Laasby (@GitteLaasbyMJS) November 27, 2014

8:30pm: Its not just electronics stores that are the contributing to the Black Friday bonanza. The high street fashion retailers are also getting into the spirit with ASOS announcing 20% of everything if you use their special code. Shopping heaven!

#BlackFriday has come early! Get 20% off everything with code 'CYBERWKND20': http://t.co/3GPjoeEqJ3 — ASOS (@ASOS) November 27, 2014

7:55pm: So Walmart may well have some great offers in store, but shop with care. Recent reports suggest that Two-thirds of all #BlackFriday-related injuries take place in #Walmart

7:50pm: Among PC world's Black Friday offering's is an ISUS laptop for $100! I'll have three!

7:45pm: Midst all the consumerism and excess, it's nice to see some thought being given to charitable concerns. Make your Amazon purchases via Amazon Smile and 0.5% will be donated to charity http://smile.amazon.com

7:10pm: To kick off with, The 02 are getting in on the act by dropping booking fees for live gigs and concerts in honour of Black Friday. For tickets to see everyone from the Kaiser Chiefs, The X Factor Live, Russell Howard, Queen and Adam Lambert perform live at the famed London venue, without those annoying additional booking charges, check out their website:http://bit.ly/TheO2BFriday

It's nearly here... our #BlackFriday offer starts at 00:01 tonight! Click to find out more http://t.co/vBmjTSXtsA pic.twitter.com/d5LIuEp0Nt

— The O2 (@TheO2) November 27, 2014

7.00pm: In just a few hours, Black Friday will be officially upon us. In our exclusive live blog, dedicated to all things Black Friday, IBTimes brings you updates, hot deals and unmissable store discounts that will ensure you're ahead of the pack in the race to bag those Black Friday bargains.

I (Priya) will be taking over the baton until the clock strikes 12. Let the countdown begin. Brace yourself!

5.55pm: On that note, I (Anthony) am saying farewell to the liveblog for now and will leave it in the very capable hands of my colleague Priya Joshi, who should be here at around 7pm.

5.50pm: Not everyone's a fan of Black Friday. For many it's seen as all the worst aspects of a capitalist society epitomised in a single day of grotesque consumerism.

IBTimes UK features writer Lydia Smith has taken a deeper look at what anti-consumerism protestors on the day after Thanksgiving:

5:20pm: Over in Utah, US, some Black Friday shoppers are already pitching their tents in a queue, ready for the discounts to kick off tomorrow morning. Will you be getting up early tomorrow to get to the front of the queue? Let us know.

4:50pm: Our own Gareth Platt has spoken to Su Patel, a Sainsbury's cashier and shopworkers' union member who worked Black Friday last year and witnessed what she described to us as "a warzone."

"We hadn't seen anything like it; we'd never done Black Friday before, it was new, freshly imported from America. At Christmas you're prepared for it, but this was a shock. It was a like a warzone."

4:45pm: The tweet below is a screenshot of the PC World website earlier today, which employed a virtual queue system due to high demand. We can expect to see more of this tomorrow...

4.20pm: Fancy some fashion? Our Entertainment Editor Toyin Owoseje has rounded up all the best deals and coupon codes from River Island, Urban Outfitters, Top Shop and Asos:

4pm: Just eight hours until Black Friday now in the UK. Amazon are getting into the spirit with a "Countdown to Black Friday" tweet.

3.40pm: Here's some more on EE's Black Friday deals:

3.25pm: A bit of research about spending habits for you now: For the first time ever this year the overall majority of online retail traffic on Black Friday is expected to come from people using mobile devices. However, consumers are still weary of actually buying anything on their phones, as most purchases will actually take place on desktops.

Ross Sleight, chief strategy officer at Somo, said: "Last year, mobile accounted for 40% of all online traffic over Black Friday – a 34% increase from 2012. The trend is expected to continue this year, and for the first time the overall majority of online retail traffic will come from mobile devices.

"Despite strong mobile traffic, only a third of sales will come from the channel. It is critical for retailers to consider how the traffic fits into the overall customer journey. Much traffic from mobile devices will be research, with purchases later following from the desktop."

3.15pm: And our Labour Market reporter Ian Silvera has written a very interesting piece on how the Black Friday and Cyber Monday could cost the UK economy up to £117 million:

3.10pm: Wondering when all these stores will open and the deals will actually begin? Fret not as our News Editor Lianna Brinded has put together a guide for you:

3pm: EE has just announced its Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals:

• At least 20% off all pay as you go (PAYG) smartphones worth £150 or less – including the Huawei Ascend Y550 for just £55.99, making it the cheapest 4G smartphone available from EE for Christmas!
• 20% off all PAYG 4GEE Mobile WiFi devices – including the white EE Osprey for just £39.99, the perfect gadget to help keep all your devices online during the festive season
• 20% off all accessories (EE online shop only) – providing ideal stocking fillers from screen protectors to premium headphones & speakers with free home delivery

2.45pm: To help you decide if the Moto X is the best phone for you, then have a look at Alistair's just-published look back at the best smartphones of 2014.

2.35pm: Looking forward a few days to Cyber Monday, Motorola has just announced that it will be offering customers £100 off a Moto Maker designed Moto X.

This offer begins at 8am on Monday 1st December and runs until 12pm on Tuesday 2nd December, while stocks last of course.

2.24pm: French website MacG has revealed that Apple won't offering any Black Friday deals in the UK or across Europe. The site claims that the tech giant is sticking to US shores for its offers this year, rewarding customers with gift cards.

2.14pm: An apparent insider at Tesco head office has just published a list of products to HotUKDeals that will be on offer on Black Friday. The UK's going to need to get a plumber in if all these leaks don't stop soon...

2.04pm: Game has just confirmed through its Twitter account that it will be selling an Xbox 360 and four games for £299.99.

1.54pm: As promised, here's those Argos deals for you. No actual prices have yet been revealed through the 10ways.com site, but here's a list of some of the products featured. It's been a long-time coming but at last we're getting to the good stuff: Lego.

• Nikon L27 16MP 5X zoom compact digital camera

• Toshiba 32In HD ready combi television

• Sodastream Jet 60l drinks maker

• Lego Creative bucket

• Sony Xperia Z SIM-free smartphone

1.35pm: Argos is one of the last major UK retailers to reveal what deals will be on offer on Black Friday, however leaks are beginning to appear that reveal what shoppers might be able to expect.

Deals for digital cameras, TVs and console games are all listed - we'll have a full list with you shortly.

1.10pm: Enjoy your lunch David - I hope there's some Thanksgiving Turkey in there. I (Anthony) will be with you for the next couple of hours drip-feeding you with more Black Friday deals as they come through.

1.05pm: Even those scouring the internet for Black Friday Deals have to eat, so I'm off to have some lunch, but Anthony will be back soon and for now here's Lydia Smith's brilliant piece on how to survive Black Friday:

12.47pm: Tesco deals are beginning to trickle out now from sources deep within the retailer's top secret HQ - or maybe from nosey checkout workers bored on their break - but either way the latest is a PS4 bundle including DriveClub for just £289 which, if true, sounds like a pretty good deal to us.

If you're interested why not read Ed Smith's great piece on DriveClub here.

12.41pm: Ah, yes, Alistair has reminded up of the darker side of Black Friday here.....all he did was try to buy two TVs, not steal them, buy them. We particularly love the jobsworth holding on to this man's foot.

12.23pm: Another Tesco deal from "sources" claiming that you will be able to nab a 32in Blaupunkt TV for just £99 (via Hot UK Deals). Again, like the iPad mini deal earlier, this should be taken with a pinch of salt but if true, could be a really good bargain.

12.19pm: Looking for a laptop this Christmas? The this deal from Staples (via HUKD) could be right up your street. Available from 8am on Friday. Specs seem decent too: 500GB HDD , 4GB Ram, 3 x USB ports, Webcam and an Intel Celeron processor.

11.52am: Fancy a white Christmas even if it doesn't snow? Well you can get a 500GB Glacier White PS4 delivered to your door for £299.99 from Rakuten:

11.36am: We also have specific pages for all major retailers as well as for device categories:

11.35am: If you are unsure how Black Friday works and how to get the best deals, fret not, as Anthony has put together a comprehensive guide just for