British workers are forecast to spend a colossal £5 billion on Black Friday shopping, with a significant portion of this spending set to happen during paid work hours, according to a new survey.
The On-the-Job Shopping Spree
A study of 2,000 employees, commissioned by travel company First Choice, reveals that the average worker intends to spend £169.72. When this figure is projected across the UK's workforce of 34.22 million people, it results in the staggering multi-billion pound total.
The research highlights how determined Brits are to secure a bargain, with a bold 66% openly searching for deals during their contracted hours. Furthermore, 22%—equivalent to one in five employees—have chosen to work from home specifically to avoid missing out on discounted goods and services.
Creative Tactics for Deal Hunting
Some workers are taking even more extreme measures. The survey found that one in 20 plans to pull a sickie this year to dedicate their time to grabbing the best offers.
Looking at behaviours from previous years, 10% of employees have hidden in toilets to hunt for deals, while 8% have been known to sneak off to their cars at opportune moments to complete a purchase.
Kevin Nelson from First Choice commented on the findings, stating: "Black Friday is one of the days of the year when good value is top of mind for everyone. But for many shoppers, it can be a pretty overwhelming experience."
"With lots of noise from brands competing for their attention and a multitude of codes to sift through to find the best deal, it is no surprise that people are having to find creative ways to try and navigate it all," he added.
The Overlooked Black Friday Deal
Despite this fervent deal-seeking, many shoppers are overlooking significant savings in one key area: travel. While tech topped the list with 32% of people expecting the best deals on smart devices, far fewer are anticipating discounts on holidays.
Only a mere 8% are expecting savings on summer holidays, and just 7% are banking on deals for winter breaks.
This is happening despite a third (33%) of respondents believing that genuine bargains are hard to find, and 30% confessing they find it impossible to know if they are truly getting a good deal.
First Choice, which conducted the research, has launched its own Black Friday offers, promising savings of up to £300 on trips booked before 2nd December.
The study, carried out by OnePoll.com, also uncovered that 23% of people find having a holiday to look forward to helps them endure the darker nights. Additionally, 15% are more likely to book a trip when it's colder and darker outside.
A spokesperson for the company said: "This year we are trying to make it as easy as possible so you won't have to hunt for our deals with hard-to-find codes. We've auto-applied them all from the start, so you know when you're browsing that the price you see is the lowest Black Friday price you'll get."
"With so many people unaware of the big travel savings that can be made during Black Friday, we're hoping to bring more simple deals to people at a time when they need a holiday the most," the spokesperson concluded.
