Early morning queues formed at some Bradford stores today as Black Friday sales started.

Security guards were on hand at electrical store Sonic Direct in Ingleby Road, Bradford, which opened its doors at 8am.

About 100 people had waited, some from 4.15am, to buy discounted goods which included TVs, fridge freezers and washing machines.

Jay Faulkner, 31, of Undercliffe, Bradford, snapped up a 48-inch Samsung television for £299.99, discounted from £499.99, within five minutes of the store opening.

He said: “I don’t mess about! I am very happy with it.”

Paul Bennett, 52, of Allerton, got the same television after reading a leaflet he got through the door.

He said: “I am very happy with that – it is a very good price for a smart TV. Me and my partner had said we needed a new TV.”

Rob Mucha, general manager at Sonic, said people buying products online had lowered the number of shoppers actually coming to the store.

“I am very happy,” he said. “The thing I have noticed this morning is website traffic. By opening time we had already had a phenomenal amount of click and collect orders.

“I think people have got a bit wise to queuing out in the cold.”

Meanwhile, Tesco, which opened many of its stores at 5am, had installed queuing systems and assured shoppers there would be enough security and stock following scuffles over limited numbers of items last year.

Ebay is expecting nine million Britons to visit its website today, Argos, Currys PC World and AO.com are all offering hundreds of pounds off selected items, while John Lewis has promised to honour its Never Knowingly Undersold pledge and match competitors' prices.

Amazon.co.uk is offering its Fire tablet for £34.99, £15 cheaper than the regular price, as well as deals on televisions, video game consoles and Star Wars toys and £650 off a Gibson electric guitar, while those in the market for fine jewellery can snap up a white gold and diamond tennis bracelet for £3,500 off the regular price of £8,995.

Last year, Black Friday overtook Cyber Monday for the first time as Amazon.co.uk's busiest day, when it sold more than 5.5 million items at a rate of 64 per second.