HEREFORD stores are bracing themselves for 'Black Friday' - a day of bumper deals and discounts that is anticipated to be one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Taxi firms are offering special rates and shop windows around the city have been plastered with Black Friday posters.
One keen shopper started queuing at 4.30am Hereford's ASDA, which started its Black Friday offers at 8am.
She was soon joined by other eager shoppers, with queues of around 200 people stretching round to the Kindle Centre, with ASDA offering up to 75 per cent off some products.
Topping the list of discounts at the superstore is a quad bike, which has had £3,000 slashed off its price.
"Last year was chaos," said June Thurston, a community colleague at the Hereford store.
"But this year it all went smoothly, everyone was very well behaved - no punching or fighting."
A queue outside Hereford's Asda store at 8am. Photo: Anna Louise Court, Hereford Chat Room.
And in High Town, queues were gathering in the dark early this morning.
This photo, posted in the Facebook group, Hereford Chat Room, shows people waiting to go to Game for their Black Friday bargains.
Photo: Lee Williams, Hereford Chat Room.
At the Old Market development it's hoped crowds will build throughout the day.
It's management company drafted in extra security staff in anticipation of one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
Outfit sales manager Emma Worral, who said: "It's been a pretty manic couple of hours."
Shops are plastered with promotions
A longtime American tradition, the shopping frenzy comes the day after Thanksgiving when most Americans are off work.
However it has taken off in the UK with more than £1bn expected to be spent in stores across the country today, as many shoppers look to get the most out of their last pay packet before Christmas.
Andrew Moore, Asda’s chief merchandising officersaid: “Our products and prices for Black Friday this year are bigger and better than ever before."
On Twitter, Martyn Price said: "Americana has arrived in Hereford. Shop windows are covered with #BlackFriday ads."
One local artist, Karl Hamilton-Cox, is taking a different tact in launching his Christmas Exhibition today however.
He tweeted: "#xmas #Hereford starts today. We are not #BlackFriday ."
Shoppers at Hereford's Old Market this morning.
Following the opening of the Old Market this year, Hereford rose 38 places in the nation's retail rankings and is now the 76th-best spot to shop.
As of yet police have said they have not seen any instances of the kind of frenetic scrambles for bargains witnessed ion major cities across the country this morning.
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