Protests are being staged at Amazon buildings in the UK, US, and Europe - on Black Friday. The shopping sales day is among Amazon's busiest all year. An international coalition of unions, equality and environmental groups called "Make Amazon Pay" is staging a day of action. The movement is demanding Amazon make changes to its business, including improved pay, an end to employee surveillance, and union engagement. Analysts PwC predict £8.7bn will be spent on Black Friday - up from £7.8bn in 2019 and about twice as much as last year's event which took place during lockdown. This is despite warnings to expect less generous discounts and some shortages. Black Friday, which began in the US, sees retailers slash prices to entice shoppers ahead of the Christmas period. PwC predicts about 60% of adults in the UK will make purchases, spending an average of £280 each. There are concerns some retailers will not be able to meet demand on the day, leading to long waits for orders to be processed and delivered. Some big brands such as M&S and Next have shunned Black Friday this year, with M&S again saying its focus was on "offering great value throughout the whole season". Many independent shops have also opted-out as they cannot afford to offer deep discounts in the vital Christmas shopping period. An investigation by consumer rights group Which? found that 92% of Black Friday deals in 2020 were the same price or cheaper in the six months before the event.
