A Huddersfield online retailer has drafted in extra staff to cope with an expected surge in demand on Black Friday.
The move comes as retailers brace themselves for a surge in shopper numbers – both in-store and online – on what has become the biggest bargain-hunting day of the year.
Mark Kelly, marketing manager at Bradley-based AppliancesDirect.co.uk, said: “In anticipation of Black Friday we have drafted in 20 additional members of staff to handle website orders, fulfil purchases and deliver customer services to Black Friday shoppers.
“We’re expecting to see a huge sales spike on the big day. In 2014, it saw more traffic and orders than almost any other day of the year – more so than even Boxing Day – and we anticipate this trend to have only become even more pronounced for 2015.
“We have already received considerable traffic to our Black Friday landing page and expect it to continue as we reveal our range of heavily discounted products.”
Cut-price chaos: Black Friday around the UK in 2014
The additional seasonal staff will work alongside the firm’s permanent employees in warehousing, customer service and its showroom at Trident Business Park, Leeds Road.
Mr Kelly said the company predicted that its most popular item would be a 42-inch 4K LED television on offer at £299. He said: “In anticipation of the rush, we have bolstered the units of this item available. We’ll also have strong deals across our appliance categories and also juicers and robot vacuum cleaners.”
Mr Kelly said: “Following the chaotic scenes in stores on Black Friday last year, we expect customers to opt for the stress-free option, avoiding disappointment and even injury by shopping online from the comfort of their own home, where they are guaranteed to get themselves a bargain whilst stocks last.”
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Argos, which has stores at Victoria Lane and Leeds Road Retail Park in Huddersfield, said it had recruited an extra 9,000 temporary workers to help serve customers in its 800-plus stores over Christmas. On Black Friday, they will be joined by hundreds of head office workers helping out on the shop floor.
However, several retailers have decided to opt out of Black Friday while others are running promotions over a longer period to reduce pressure on staff and supply chains.
Asda has already announced it will not take part in Black Friday – citing “shopper fatigue” around the one-day sales event. The retailer, which has a store at Bradford Road, said customer feedback was behind its decision to offer £26m of savings for shoppers across the season rather than a one-off day of sales.
