UK retailers admit they weren’t ready for Black Friday

UK retailers have admitted that Black Friday 2014 was their biggest challenge this year. 32 per cent of stores surveyed following the sales day noted that handling the crowds and demand proved difficult.

Some retailers felt that they were unable to cope logistically with the sheer amount of customers coming through, while some websites were unable to cope with the server load. Many stores even suffered security breaches due to the overwhelmingly large crowds.

Image Source: BBC

Speaking with UK trade site, MCV, one store manager said “We did not anticipate the popularity of Black Friday. Operationally we could have been more organised as a business, but we have learnt a lot this year which will help next time around.”

Black Friday drove people back to high street stores. However, 25 per cent of those responding to MCV's survey criticized aggressive discounting by super markets.

You can read the full report, HERE. 

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It was obvious that many retailers weren't fully prepared for Black Friday. Many shoppers were driven by hype from the US and sheer curiosity, some of the more desparate shoppers started fights over cheap no-brand TVs and a few people managed to sneak their way out of the store with unpaid goods in the midst of the chaos. Maybe things will go better next year. Did any of you guys brave the Black Friday crowds? Personally, I wouldn't bother since most things can be found online anyway.

Source: MCV

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