The scariest day of the year for those in retail has returned.

Black Friday casts its shadow across the whole of the winter shopping season, with companies outbidding each other to see who can amp up the excitement about potential bargains to dangerous levels.

Recent years have been marred by ugly scenes as shoppers enticed by the prospect of one-off discounts came to blows in the aisles of major supermarkets.

Police have been forced to appeal for calm ahead of this year's Black Friday, a terrifying glimpse into the world's inevitable Hunger Games-style future.

But reports from consumer body Which has claimed that deals last year were not as good as they seemed, with many better offers available outside of the Black Friday blitz.

So how did we get to this stage? And can the hysteria around Black Friday continue in an era of online shopping and vast consumer choice?

In America the day after Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November) is known as Black Friday and has become one of the biggest shopping days of the year.

Like Boxing Day sales in Britain after Christmas day, many items are discounted or put on special offer by retailers and it is generally seen as the start of the festive shopping period. Some states in America even observe Black Friday as a public holiday.

Consumer expert Fraser Sutherland from Citizens Advice Scotland says the event is a reaction to the cutthroat world of retail.

"It's a date retailers have picked up on to use as a promotional tool, with a number of retailers coming together to use it as a big event to offer special deals, discounted prices on some products which can drive demand and footfall through their shops," he explains.

"Retailers with high street presences are fighting against online retailers and this is a way they've made a new pre-Christmas sale to drive that footfall.

"The world of online shopping has opened up an unprecedented choice for the consumer and discounts on products has become the norm. The advent of Black Friday could be a way for the high street to fight back.

"They've seen a drop over a period of ten or 20 years in footfall through their stores as more people do their shopping online.

"But they still see big numbers in their Boxing Day sales and that's probably why they wanted to give this impression of a sale prior to Christmas."

Imported wholesale from the US, Black Friday has been characterised by incidents of rioting and even fatality as shoppers are whipped into a frenzy as doors open.

Mr Sutherland thinks this environment could backfire on retailers in the long-term.

"It's not really the shopping experience that most consumers want," he argues.

"The things they rank highly are good customer service and a positive environment. Some of the most successful retailers will tell you that having a pleasant environment in their shop is the best way to get people in and get people spending.

"These big queues and rammies at shops I don't think are really conducive to ongoing customer loyalty."

Recent years have seen a scale-down of such events and the significance of Black Friday shopping in-store.

Does he think retailers have changed their focus?

"I think a lot of the retailers learned from the first year where we saw the scrums and all the rest of it and they've tried to do this a bit differently," Mr Sutherland says.

"Even though its called Black Friday, many retailers are now offering deals over the course of a week and using their online sales a lot more because then they don't have to deliver the goods on the day."

The term Black Friday this side of the Atlantic was previously given to the last Friday before Christmas when, as well as frantic shoppers hoping to get a last minute presents, many people would be out for parties and other social events with the end of the working year in sight.

In the early 2010s, Asda, owned by Wal-Mart, and American-based Amazon began offering Black Friday discounts in the UK and over recent years other retailers have jumped on the bandwagon.

With the rapid increase of offers and sales for potential customers, there followed trouble and incidents caused by those eager to bag a bargain.

What advice for consumers on the most frenzied shopping day of the year? Just make sure you set a budget and stick to it, says Mr Sutherland.

"The wise consumers will always shop around and find the best deals whether they are on this Friday or not.

"Our message to people is to make sure you know what you're spending, plan your Christmas spending, know a budget and stick to it. Don't be bamboozled by deals and big discounts if you're going to overstretch yourself."

Black Friday is here for this year at least, but it has been speculated that increasing materials costs linked to Britain's impending EU exit and the general economic climate will lead to the end of the artificial sales.

Retailers including Next and Apple have warned that prices are set to rise. 'Marmitegate' - the stand-off between Tesco and Unilever over the cost of some of their more popular products - highlighted how this could impact on consumers.

The decision, says Mr Sutherland, will be driven by demand.

"I don't know if consumers will be demanding it all the time,but if the retailers see it as a success and they get people in their stores then they will continue as long as people continue to bite,"he says.