Black Friday shoppers fear transport problems will hit stocks of wanted items

A poll found some 26% of people are concerned that the products they might want to buy on November 26 might not be available due to HGV driver issues.

Around one in four people are worried that items they want to buy on Black Friday will be out of stock due to supply chain problems, according to a YouGov survey for PriceRunner (Danny Lawson/PA) (PA Archive)

Around one in four people are concerned that items they may want to buy on Black Friday could be out of stock due to transport problems, according to a survey.

Some 26% of people questioned by YouGov said they are worried that the products they hope to purchase during the discount shopping event on November 26 will not be for sale due to the lorry drivers crisis.

Young adults aged 18 to 24 were found to be the most concerned, with just over two-fifths (42%) agreeing, according to the poll of more than 2,100 people across the UK carried out between October 8 and 11.

More than half (61%) of the respondents said they are still shopping online more than they did before the coronavirus pandemic.

My advice is to expect the unexpected this year

Christine Gouldthorp, PriceRunner

Comparison website PriceRunner, which commissioned the research, said its own analysis of more than 12,000 products sold on Black Friday last year found that prices for around one in five had been ramped up and then reduced in time for the sale.

It said its analysis of price trends this year has also found that some prices have already started to go up ahead of Black Friday.

Christine Gouldthorp, consumer expert at PriceRunner, said people should not panic and buy items they do not need.

She predicted that some retailers may avoid lowering prices on some popular products “that are hard to get on shelves, in order to not run out of stock completely and disappoint consumers”.

She said: “My advice is to expect the unexpected this year.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said that, despite supply chain issues, there will be a “good amount of Christmas presents available” this year.