British employees are expected to spend over £5 billion on Black Friday shopping – while at work.
A poll of 2,000 workers found the average employee plans to spend £169.72, which when applied across the UK’s 34.22 million-strong workforce, adds up to the staggering total.
It was found 66 per cent will brazenly hunt for deals during their contracted hours.
While a fifth (22 per cent) have worked from home to avoid missing out on cut-price goods or services.
As many as 10 per cent have hidden in toilets to look for deals and one in 20 (five per cent) plan to even pull a sickie this year to bag bargains.
With eight per cent nipping off to their car at opportune moments to grab the deal they’re looking for.
Kevin Nelson from travel company First Choice [https://www.firstchoice.co.uk], which commissioned the research, said: “Black Friday is one of the days of the year when good value is top of mind for everyone.
“But for many shoppers, it can be a pretty overwhelming experience.
“With lots of noise from brands competing for their attention and a multitude of codes to sift through to find the best deal, it is no surprise that people are having to find creative ways to try and navigate it all.”
It was also found more than half (60 per cent) of those caught in the act were gripped by a colleague but 22 per cent were caught by their boss.
In fact, despite the willingness to shop while at work, 33 per cent believed good deals are hard to come by - and 30 per cent admitted to thinking it’s impossible to know if you're really getting one.
And when it comes to where they can make the biggest saving - tech came out top with 32 per cent expecting to see the best deals on smart devices.
But many don’t expect to see major savings when it comes to travel, with only eight per cent anticipating discounts on summer holidays and seven per cent on winter breaks.
First Choice conducted the research following the launch of its Black Friday deals where travellers can save up to £300 on trips booked before 2nd December.
The study, conducted by OnePoll.com, found 23 per cent said having a holiday to look forward to helps them get through the darker nights – and 15 per cent are more likely to book when it is darker and colder outside.
The spokesperson added: “This year we are trying to make it as easy as possible so you won't have to hunt for our deals with hard-to-find codes.
“We've auto-applied them all from the start, so you know when you're browsing that the price you see is the lowest Black Friday price you'll get
“Booking a holiday or getting a good deal shouldn’t be stressful, so it’s important that we are making the process as easy as possible.
“And with so many people unaware of the big travel savings that can be made during Black Friday, we're hoping to bring more simple deals to people at a time when they need a holiday the most.”
