Retailers are gearing up for Black Friday madness today with experts predicting a wave of bargain-hunters to descend on the UK high streets in what is expected to be the busiest shopping day of the year.

So, whether you’re waiting in line, queuing at the cash machine or buying online, here are some facts about Black Friday to keep those impulsive minds busy.

1. Black Friday didn’t become a national term in the US until the 1990s. It remained a Philadelphia quirk for a long period of time before spreading to other US locations.

2. Black Friday became the busiest shopping day of the year in the States in 2001.

3. During last year’s Black Friday police shot an alleged shoplifter in Chicago, a robber shot a shopper in Las Vegas and a California police officer was seriously injured in a fight.

4. Two arrests were made after a man was stabbed in an argument over a parking space at a Wal-Mart in Virginia last year.

5. Up to 12 per cent of American shoppers have admitted to hitting the Black Friday sales drunk before

6. Is Black Friday being phased out in America? The world’s biggest retailer Wal-Mart broke tradition and opened its store on Thanksgiving evening in 2011, prompting its competitors to do the same over the last few years.

7. Nearly three quarters of UK consumers have heard of Black Friday.

8. 22 per cent of Brits say they have in the past bought something during Black Friday sales.

9. Analysts expect this year’s Black Friday to hit record sales of more than £350m in the UK because it falls on payday.

10. Households are expected to spend an average of £775 on Christmas this year – a rise of £17 since Christmas 2013.