This Friday is officially known as Black Friday as British retailers adopt the American tradition of slashing prices and offering door busting deals in the wake of Thanksgiving.

East Anglian Daily Times: Will Black Friday fever sweep the high streets of Suffolk?Will Black Friday fever sweep the high streets of Suffolk?

Big chains will be offering huge discounts from the early hours of Friday and it is expected to be one of the biggest online shopping days ever.

Black Friday comes just under a month before Christmas, and just after pay day for many, meaning there is a big surge in people seeking presents for their loved ones.

At John Lewis Ipswich bosses remained tight-lipped over discounts that might be coming but Emma Garland, section manager branch operations, did say: “We will be matching our competitors’ prices, this is part of our commitment to being Never Knowingly Undersold.”

In Bury St Edmunds, stores are gearing up for the annual Christmas fayre, starting Thursday afternoon, which is expected to attract 100,000 visitors to the town over the course of the weekend.

Mark Cordell, chief executive of Ourburystedmunds Business Improvement District (BID) group, said: “We have so many things going on and we have a wonderful array of food and drinks establishments, so people will still come into Bury.”

Mr Cordell said he was not worried about losing business to people choosing to find their Black Friday bargains online.

“People like to try on and touch and feel and socialise with friends.

“A number of our traders have an online facility anyway, so we don’t see it as threat but just another way people can purchase what they want.

“This weekend will be a great opportunity to showcase the town to visitors from far away and hopefully they will come back next year.”

Will you be getting up early to seek out Black Friday bargains or do you prefer to shop local? Join the conversation on twitter by adding #ShopSuffolk to your tweets.