Shropshire shopping centre bosses expect busy Black Friday - but no crowds or queues

But Black Friday, as most people have now come to name today's spending extravaganza, has cemented its place in the nation's psyche - although not so much in Shropshire, with no queues, or crowds seen at the major shopping areas.

Today marks the last Friday in November, and is as such the day when many people expect their final pay cheque before Christmas to tinkle into their bank account.

To make the most of this sudden release of capital in the wider population, retailers now put on one-day-only sales in the hope of enticing shoppers to part with their Christmas cash.

Last year, Black Friday truly established itself as a part of the run-up to Christmas in the UK, having been imported from the USA.

It's easy to recall the crazed scramble for bargains that occurred around the country, as shoppers pushed up against the doors of superstores in a bid to be first in line for the cheap goods.

Footfall counters in the Pride Hill Shopping Centre in Shrewsbury found a 14 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of people passing through the centre for last year's event.

Stores in the centre have taken on an additional 70 temporary staff between them in the run-up to this year's festive season, and Kevin Lockwood, manager of the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside Shopping Centres, said anticipation was growing ahead of tomorrow's spending spree.

"The lead up to Christmas has been growing and we're looking forward to Friday and expecting a busy day ahead of a busy weekend," he said.

"We are opening 8am to 8pm on Black Friday to assist shoppers with their special purchases."

New Look in the Pride Hill centre enjoyed bumper sales last year.

Sales manager Liz Jamieson said: "We took more that weekend than we did in the whole of half-term week.

"We're expecting to be really busy again and we've got some great offers of up to 50 per cent off."

The value of Black Friday to retailers can't be underestimated. John Lewis notched up the highest weekly sales in its 150-year history at the end of last November, ringing £179.1 millon through the tills – 21.8 per cent more than the same week in 2013.

Visa Europe said more than £500 million was spent on its cards, making it the biggest day for e-commerce in UK history. It said online transactions topped 8.5 million today alone, up 22 per cent on 2013.

But that doesn't mean that all shops want to be involved this year.

Asda said "shopper fatigue" had prompted its decision to invest in £26 million of savings for shoppers across the season rather than the one-off day of sales.

It may be prove a good decision. The wider impact on retail has seen shops suffer their weakest October since 2008, probably because shoppers are waiting for the bargains.

In Shropshire, last year's Black Friday event passed off peacefully, with police reporting no problems during the bargain bunfight. But trouble was reported in Dundee, Glasgow and Cardiff as people fought to get their hands on cheap goods.

Consumer electronics top shoppers' wishlists, according to research by Barclays, who said 29 per cent of people hope to get their hands on some cheap tech.

Lisa McCormick, Barclays' community leader for Shropshire, said: "Sales of consumer electronics will again prove a key draw for many, with discounts on the latest phones, tablets and TVs."