If there were lessons to be learned from Black Friday 2014, the early signs suggest Tesco has done plenty of homework over the last 12 months.

By all accounts, last year’s promotional frenzy bordered on a disaster for some of the UK’s biggest retailers. Tesco and its big four rival Asda arguably came off worst in the PR stakes, as reports of in-store fights and police being called to supermarkets hit the headlines, damaging brand reputations.

While Asda has opted to step away from the sales bonanza completely, investing £26m into a longer period of seasonal price cuts instead, Tesco persevered with the US-imported phenomenon and has launched this year’s day of deals in a much more considered manner.

Timing masterstroke

The move to close its participating Extra stores at midnight and give store staff five hours to prepare for the rush of customers – as revealed by Retail Week – was a clever one.

Deals began as the clock struck 12 last year and led to a melee for flatscreen TVs and other discounted electricals.

If there were lessons to be learned from Black Friday 2014, the early signs suggest Tesco has done plenty of homework over the last 12 months.

Tesco

If there were lessons to be learned from Black Friday 2014, the early signs suggest Tesco has done plenty of homework over the last 12 months

The 5am opening time was always going to reduce the number of customers queuing outside stores.

It is easy for consumers to stay awake until midnight in the hunt for a bargain, but a 5am start is a much more awkward proposition – the prospect of an early alarm and standing around in freezing temperatures would have been enough to warn off a fair number of consumers and proved to be a masterstroke, if indeed that was one of the grocer’s aims.

But that was just the first step.

Judging by our experiences at Tesco Extra stores in Surrey Quays and Orpington this morning, store staff and security have been well-briefed and ensured any potential for a shopper scrum was nullified.

No overcrowding

Customers were allowed to enter stores in batches of 15 or 20 to ensure there was no overcrowding in aisles or fighting over discounted goods.

There were plenty of security personnel on hand but, in truth, their presence didn’t appear to be necessary as shoppers made calm and considered purchases rather than grappling to get their hands on whatever cut-price stock they could.

If there was one thing Tesco may need to iron out ahead of next year, it is the decision not to allow regular grocery shoppers into stores until 7am. The move prompted some anger from customers on Twitter who were allegedly turned away, although staff in Orpington were certainly more welcoming.

One consumer, who had joined the orderly formation of around 50 eager shoppers outside the store before 5am, asked if he could enter even though he “only wanted to buy bacon and eggs.” After some dialogue between security staff and Tesco workers, he was allowed to skip the queue and buy his groceries – but only under strict escort from a member of staff to ensure he didn’t make a detour to the Black Friday deals section.

Re-emerging triumphantly outside five minutes later with plastic bag in hand and a few tongue-in-cheek cheers from the patient Black Friday bargain-hunters, the breakfast-buyer – like everyone else we saw in store this morning – looked set to go home happy.

After the brand-damaging chaos of last year, that sort of customer satisfaction provides the clearest indication that Tesco has passed this morning’s Black Friday test.