Although it sounds like a Stephen King novel, Black Friday is an altogether different American import.
It sees retailers slash prices for 24 hours to try to work consumers up into a pre-Christmas spending frenzy.
Black Friday 2015 is nearly here – it lands on November 27. Some retailers have turned it into a Black Week, and there’s also Cyber Monday (November 30) to entice us back to online shopping.
We’ve had a look around to see where you might bag a Black Friday bargain.
Gifts
Mulberry Hall
The famous Stonegate china, crystal, cutlery and kitchenware shop is making some right royal discounts. The Mulberry Hall Exclusive Royal Wedding Mug is reduced to £75 from £235, while the Caithness Royal Engagement Paperweight, previously £195, is down to £65.
The Body Shop
The smellporium, which has a branch in the Coppergate Centre, is offering 40% off its cream, butters, sprays and salves.
Fenwicks
Stay tuned, says the Coppergate Centre department store, for “one-day only discounts on luxury handbags, beauty, electricals and fashion”.
John Lewis
The store at Vangarde Shopping Park is opening an hour earlier at 8am to accommodate the sales-crazed early birds. Look out for reductions on electrical and home appliance gadgets.
Gear4Music
The Clifton Moor retailer of instruments, studio gear and DJing kit has been giving away prizes all this week to celebrate Black Friday. Among the discounts – you can save up to £356 on sE Electronics T2 Titan & 4400A microphones.
Millets
Outdoor types might like to head to Millets on Market Street. It hasn’t waited till Friday with the deals already on – for example A Peter Storm Phillipa Women’s Down Jacket half price at £60.
York Designer Outlet
Known as the home of the discount, York Designer Outlet is promising a “Black Friday Event” with many bargains across the shopping centre. You can sign up for a Thursday preview too.
Electricals
Maplin York
Over in Clifton Moor, Maplin are flagging up their hottest deals via their Twitter feed (see link above). They include this ride-on convertible Mini at £99, down from £169.99.
Herbert Todd
The Percy’s Lane electrical retailer is planning, and we quote, “super duper daft Black Friday electrical deals”. These include a KD-55X8505B Sony 4K Ultra HD TV which was £1,799, reduced to £1,345, and a Siemens Multi Function activeClean single built in oven on sale at £499, down from £699.
Game
With stores on Church Street and at Monks Cross, Game is a good bet for video game lovers of all ages. Already there have been console bargains to be had this week, and they promise more on Friday and at the weekend.
Phone shops
O2 has a shop on Spurriergate, EE has stores on Parliament Street and Coney Street, and Vodafone has a Parliament Street outlet. All are promising major savings – to see the latest, click the links.
Clothes
7camicie
The York store, based on Low Petergate, is getting excited on its Facebook page about Black Friday. The Italian shirts retailer nationally is flagging up discounts of 30%.
Timberland
Timberland also has a presence on Low Petergate, and nationally the brand says their sale will encompass “Timberland classics like the Original Yellow Boot… to down-time must-haves such as skinny jeans and hoodies.”
Clarks
Clarks has kicked in with flash offers all this week, focusing on 25% off selected lines. More promised for Black Friday at the Coppergate Walk and Monks Cross stores.
Burton
Over on Coney Street and Monks Cross, Burton says that “we’ve got a mega deal coming your way just in time for Christmas” and they’re going “bigger and harder” on Black Friday than ever before. You have been warned.
Health and beauty
Kuki Spa
The popular salon on Huntington Road has cut 10% off all hair and beauty treatments on Black Friday, while appointments last.
Regis Salon
The Coppergate Centre has shared the reductions in the price of hair styling equpiment at the Regis Salon there. For example, the GHD Air Hairdryer is now £79 (we’re not sure what it was before). Whether you can get the same discounts at Regis in Browns is unclear.
Food and drink
Liquid Indulgence
The online wine and spirits shop, based in Wheldrake, York, has created “five very special offers in the run-up to Black Friday”. On the day we looked, the offer was two Firestarter Vodkas and four Kickstarter energy drinks for £55.
Flares
The party bar on Tanner Row has a number of offers, including half-price New Year’s Eve tickets and 24% off last minute party bookings.
Slug And Lettuce
The Slug And Lettuce on Low Ousegate has a couple of good offers. Book to get 25% off your food bill and there’s also 2-4-1 on cocktails.
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