Is it really that big a deal?

Retail experts say we're going to spend £3.49 billion over the four days starting with Black Friday (tomorrow) with online sales alone predicted to be up 16 per cent on last year.

An estimated 14.7 million shoppers will take part in the sales bonanza and they are expected to spend £450 million more over the four days than France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium combined.

Does that mean fighting in the aisle of Tesco?

Much of the cash is expected to be spent online rather than in store, but high street stores are expecting higher than usual footfall. However most this year are sticking to more usual shopping hours rather than opening at midnight like they did last year.

So where can I find a deal?

Here are some of the shops in Colchester where you can pick up a bargain...

DEBENHAMS in Culver Square will extend its opening hours from 8am to 9pm (normally it is open 9am to 6pm.) There will be deals across departments, incuding up to half price on coats, handbags, watches and electricals.

TESCO at the Hythe will remain open overnight, launching the Black Friday event at 5am. Highwoods Tesco closes at midnight tonight but will reopen at 5am for the sales to commence.

FENWICK will stick to its normal opening hours but has deals across all departments, including 70 per cent off selected DKNY women's fashion, 70 per cent off selected watches including Coach, Skagen and Michael Kors and ten per cent off beauty.

LION WALK will be awash with deals, with The Perfume Shop, Clintons, The Body Shop, Maison White, No1 Currency, Topshop, Topman and Marks and Spencer taking part in Black Friday. A spokesman for Lion Walk said more stores may be taking part but no stores have confirmed longer opening hours.

POUNDLAND will be offering discounts on blenders, pressure cookers, hair styling tools, fragrance and toys on Friday.

SAINSBURY'S will only be offering discounts in store tomorrow with price slashes on electrical goods including vacuum cleaners, laptops, headphones, sound bars and HD TVs on Friday. The store will be sticking to its normal opening hours of 6am to midnight.

PETS AT HOME will double the amount of points from purchases on Black Friday, which will be turned into vital donations for animal charities. There will also be deals on hutches, cat climbing furniture and beds.

LAURA ASHLEY will take another 10 per off its 30 per cent off sale (which is on now) from 10am tomorrow until Monday.

ARGOS won't open its stores in Tollgate or the town centre any earlier than usual for a Friday (8am) and is yet to reveal it's biggest deals. These are due out today.

COLCHESTER MARKET might not be able to offer you a cut-price HD TV, but it will be on Colchester High Street on Friday and Saturday and traders will be offering fresh produce, tasty street food and a few hidden gems.

Who's not taking part?

Asda is not taking part in Black Friday.

Be warned...

While many will get a genuine deal on Black Friday, Essex Police has warned there is typically more attempted online shopping scams than any other day of the festive shopping period on Black Friday.

You can take a few simple steps to reduce the chances of falling victim to scams and fraudsters.

Here's how to spot the difference between a scam site and a genuine site:

Secure websites:

  • At the top of the screen where the website address is displayed, you should see https://.         
  • The “s” indicates the website is secure.
  • In many cases, you do not see the “s” until you actually move to the application page on a website.
  • Look for a closed padlock, usually displayed at the bottom right hand corner of your screen. Double-click the padlock to see the security certificate for the website. If the lock is open, you should assume it is not a secure site.

Be aware that websites sometimes use a domain name that falsely suggests they are UK-based.

You should be wary if:

  • Offers are too good to be true, for example the price of an item is markedly lower than the market rate.
  • There is no information about the identity of the person operating the business such as the proprietor’s name or the company’s full name
  • There is no geographic address for the business, preventing people from locating the business in the event of a dispute
  • The site makes no mention of any cancellation rights
  • The site has unfair or restrictive terms and conditions which limits people’s legal rights
  • The site only accepts payments via money transfer services such as MoneyGram and/or Western Union.

And FINALLY...

Money saving expert Martin Lewis is warning people to be aware that the deals are "nothing special".

He said: "There are, of course, the much-hyped huge discounts of single items like giant TVs. Yet the stock on these is so limited, they're far more akin to competitions than offers. With thousands of people trying to get them, it's a lottery. 

"The real boon of Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the rest of the Christmas shopping deals and codes is that if you have a specific list of things you plan to buy, if the store that sells them has a cross store discount code, that's the moment to pounce.

"Above all, remember, if you don't want something, don't need it or can't afford it, then don't buy it."