What impact does Black Friday have on our shopping habits?

Do you have your eye on a new toaster, a TV, a lap-top, a vacuum... or an outfit for the office Christmas party?

Maybe you've already clicked "add to cart" a few times over the last couple of weeks?

It's sales season ... Black Friday takes place on the last Friday of every November... this year it's the 28th.... but who are we kidding: It's no longer just a day. It's more like a month-long retail extravaganza.

This year, Australians are expected to spend $6.8 billion over the Black Friday-Cyber Monday period.

And the nation's consumer watchdog says it's conducting a sweep of retailers' claims. Already the ACCC has fined three major retailers for making false and misleading representations about last year's Black Friday sales.

So, how did Black Friday evolve from a US phenomenon... to our biggest sales event?

And what impact is this having on our year-round spending?