Black Friday Sale more than 50.000 users simultaneously accessed the site, temporarily causing delays and server overloads. The overwhelming numbers of visitors also caused the servers of several online shops, such as the electronics store Saturn, to suffer significant downtime. Despite the technical problems, the first Black Friday Sale generated a significant turnover and was considered a notable success by online retailers and organizers alike. After successfully launching in 2013, and having a successful 2014, 2015 and 2016, the Black Friday Sale is set to return on 24 November 2017. Online shoppers are expected to spend billions on this Black Friday sale. Once
Black Friday (shopping) downtime costs organisations around the world an average of R270m annually, up from the R210m of the previous year". Some websites offer information about day-after-Thanksgiving specials up to a month in advance. The text listings of items and prices are usually accompanied by pictures of the actual ad circulars. These are either leaked by insiders or intentionally released by large retailers to give consumers insight and allow them time to plan. In recent years, some retailers (including Walmart, Target, OfficeMax, Big Lots, and Staples) have claimed that the advertisements they send in advance of Black Friday and the prices included