A ‘death counter’ is recording the number of shoppers killed or injured on Black Friday as the annual day of big discounts approaches.

American website blackfridaydeathcount.com has kept the morbid tally since 2006, with seven people reportedly dying on the bargain shopping day over the nine-year period.

According to the counter, the last death occurred in 2007, when a teenager returning home from a day of Black Friday shopping fell asleep at the wheel.

Black Friday falls on November 27 in the US this year, the day after Thanksgiving.

It is a public holiday in some states, while many people take the day off to hunt for special offers and lower prices.

In pictures: Black Friday shopping madness kicks off early Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Black Friday shopping madness kicks off early In pictures: Black Friday shopping madness kicks off early Black-fri-1.jpg A man pushes two televisions in a shopping cart at a Target store in Colma, California AP In pictures: Black Friday shopping madness kicks off early Black-fri-2.jpg Cesar and Marie Cruz push their trolley with sons Sevier and Trinni in a shopping cart at a Target store in Colma, California AP In pictures: Black Friday shopping madness kicks off early Black-fri-3.jpg Instead of waiting for Black Friday, which is typically the year's biggest shopping day, more than a dozen major retailers opened on Thanksgiving day this year AP In pictures: Black Friday shopping madness kicks off early Black-fri-4.jpg Shoppers fill the aisles at a Macy's department store on Thanksgiving night in New York EPA In pictures: Black Friday shopping madness kicks off early Black-fri-5.jpg People wait in line to be the first to enter and shop at a Target store in Atlanta, USA. The traditional holiday shopping period began with 'door buster' deals ahead of 'Black Friday' EPA In pictures: Black Friday shopping madness kicks off early Black-fri-6.jpg A young shopper peers over the railing of an escalator at the Times Square Toys R' Us in New York AP In pictures: Black Friday shopping madness kicks off early Black-fri-7.jpg A shopper waits with her bags in the Times Square Toys R' Us in New York AP In pictures: Black Friday shopping madness kicks off early Black-fri-9.jpg People shop at a Gap factory store at the Citadel Outlets in Los Angeles AP In pictures: Black Friday shopping madness kicks off early Black-fri-10.jpg Best Buy employees hands tickets entitling customers to purchase a sale item to shoppers waiting for the store to open in Overland Park, Kansas AP In pictures: Black Friday shopping madness kicks off early Black-fri-8.jpg Bargain hunters Baylah Osias, Mackenzie Justice, Michael Tarver and Hayden Keating-Broyles (L to R) wait outside a Best Buy to be among the first to purchase discounted electronics when the brick and mortar store opens its doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day in Atlanta AP

Although a recently new phenomenon in the UK, sales on Black Friday now surpass those in the traditional Boxing Day sales.

In the last five years, retailers including Amazon, Marks and Spencer, Argos and John Lewis have all participated.

But Asda, which took part last year, announced this week it would not be doing so this time around – as it wants to spread its £26million worth of Christmas savings across the holiday season.

Andy Clarke, CEO of Asda, said: “This year customers have told us loud and clear that they don’t want to be held hostage to a day or two of sales.”