Shop til you drop

It's the first day of the Christmas shopping season. Expect to see stores overflowing with crowds as retailers slash their prices.

Black Friday is now one of the biggest shopping days in the UK. Last year, consumers spent roughly £2.6 billion in just 24 hours, and the sum is expected to be equalled today. That's enough money to pay for seven new NHSThe National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948. hospitals, or safe water for eight million villages. It could even build a small house for every homeless family in England.

Black Friday originatedCame from. in the US. In the 1950s, police in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, started referring to the day after ThanksgivingThe holiday is traditionally a time to come together with family and give thanks for the year. as "Black Friday" due to the chaotic scenes caused by huge crowds of shoppers and tourists in the city centre.

The term wasn't common across the nation until the 1980s, when US retailers reinvented the day with more positive connotationsWhen a word or object suggests another idea. and launched one-day sales. The closest thing we had to it in the UK were Boxing Day salesRetailers have traditionally offered large discounts starting from the day after Christmas, and continuing with the January sales, as they seek to get rid of extra stock from the busy pre-Christmas period..

In 2010, Amazon started offering British customers Black Friday discounts, but most retailers didn't catch on until a few years later. With a sudden boom, the news was full of images of brawls breaking out as shoppers wrestled for the cheapest deals. These hectic scenes have now largely calmed as most of us choose to stay and order at home.

Last year, online sales in the UK rose 11.7% compared with 2016, while footfallThe number of people entering a shop. fell by 3.6%. These figures have prompted experts to suggest that Black Friday might not be so good for Britain's strugglingFinding something hard or difficult. high streets after all, especially as it puts pressure on retailers to drop prices in the crucial Christmas period.

"It's bad for customers, it's bad for business, it's bad for UK retail," Anthony Thompson, the head of fashion chain Fatface, told the BBC. He called the shopping day "bonkers".

Electronics and fashion are the most popular items for Black Friday shoppers, followed by Christmas stocking fillers and treats.

Do we spend too much on presents?

It's a terrible waste, say some. The spirit of Christmas isn't about buying a cheap TV. We can show our loved ones how much we care in meaningful ways without splurging on pointless presents. Besides, our "throw-away society" is clogging up the environment. Instead of stuff, we should put our extra money towards improving the world.

Don't be a Scrooge, respond others. Taking the time to pick out gifts for the people you love is a central, fun part of Christmas. It's a joyful tradition we indulge in once a year. Anyway, £2.6 billion may sound like a lot, but when you break it down it's really just individuals spending a modest amount on their happiness.