Asda ditches the Black Friday hell it helped create
Like Father's Day, Britain has accepted another US tradition into its heart: Black Friday. By accepted, we mean coming to terms with fighting off a marauding gang of supermarket bargain hunters to get their hands on a £99 Polaroid TV. This year's shopping event is only a couple of weeks away, but already some big-name retailers are withdrawing their support. Despite helping to introduce the concept in the UK two years ago, BBC News reports that supermarket chain Asda won't be holding Black Friday sales come November 27th.
The company says "shopper fatigue" has set in "around flash sales on big-ticket, non-essential items at Christmas". The discount day normally sees retailers slash the prices of hundreds of electricals -- which prompted scuffles and fights in a number of Asda stores -- but this year, Asda intends to invest £26 million in holiday savings from now until Christmas.
Despite the negative press that followed last year's sales, "the decision to step away from Black Friday is not about the event itself," says Asda CEO Andy Clarke. "Over the last two years we've developed an organised, well-executed plan, but this year customers have told us loud and clear that they don't want to be held hostage to a day or two of sales."
[Image Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images]
