BY JACK WELCH

Whether it is the January sales or the end of season bonanzas that get people rushing to stores or browsing websites from home, there can be little denying that a good deal on our shelves is one to easily disregard.

Now, in recent years, adopting the American spectacle of Black Friday has swept towns across the UK in bringing sharp discounts and quality goods at an affordable price.

While it might be good news for us as consumers to snap up those rare bargains, the event also seems to champion the worst behaviours that on any other day could get us arrested.

From an upbeat perspective, the event seems to have done well for many retailers, with forecasts saying that profits are expected to exceed the £1.9 billion mark reached last year.

This in itself might bring a sigh of relief to some of our popular retailers on the high street.

However, with spontaneous punch-ups and consumers at risk of being trampled, any common sense and health and safety considerations are sadly seen as lesser priorities it seems.

Perhaps due to the limited nature of stock, or even just the need to have something that is priced at a much lower figure than usual, Black Friday does no service in disproving the commercialisation that has been spoken of in relation to Christmas for a long time now.

If shops are not taking responsibility for their customers seriously, perhaps online sales are the only way to prevent potential chaos.