On the fourth Thursday of November, Americans celebrate Thanksgiving - a day of food, family and rest. That last bit is particularly important, as the national holiday has very much become the calm before the storm. That's because at midnight the following day - or, as is increasingly the case in many retailers, the Thursday evening - shoppers come out in force for Black Friday.

Black Friday sees many stores introducing one-day special offers and discounts. From clothes to toys - although electronics seem particularly popular - bargain hunters crowd malls and superstores in an attempt to grab the best offers. It's routinely the year's busiest shopping day in the States.

Unfortunately, Black Friday has also become associated with violence and accidents. With crowds often rushing stores, and individual shoppers trying to secure the limited discounts for themselves, many dangerous incidents have been associated with Black Friday 'festivities' - shootings, pepper spray attacks, stabbings, stampedes, fights and more. There's even a Black Friday Death Count website, that collects together reports of Black Friday related deaths and injuries. It currently counts 4 deaths since 2008.

Black Friday shoppers, then, might be best staying at home and ordering online. Indeed, UK & Ireland retailers have in recent years started getting in on the 'fun', with companies such as Amazon and Apple among those offering a range of deals for 24 hours or, in some cases, a week or more. A follow-up to Black Friday called Cyber Monday - the Monday after Thanksgiving - is one of the biggest online shopping day of the year, with many digital retailers saving their best deals until then.

While most Irish consumers will only experience the Black Friday chaos from the safety of a computer screen, a few 'physical' retailers are also starting to introduce Black Friday to the world at large. Indeed, this morning there were reports one woman was injured in Belfast in a fight over a discount TV.

It's hard to tell whether Black Friday will go truly global in the coming years. In America, though, there are still millions who will brave the queues and crowds. Here's what some of them can expect to experience. The first video shows an incident said to have taken place last night, while the second is perhaps the most famous Black Friday video of them all...