umm... why is it Black Friday? This has evidently passed me by.
I like the Manchester approach to shopping. Enter any shop playing christmas music and immediately hear someone saying "I'm so sick of f**king christmas music already. I'm gonna go home and do this online."
Black Friday is the day after
Thanksgiving in the
United States, where it is the beginning of the traditional
Christmas shopping season. Since Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday in
November in the United States, Black Friday may be as early as the 23rd and as late as the 29th of November. Black Friday is not an official holiday, but many employers give the day off, allowing consumers to get a head start on their Christmas shopping. Retailers often decorate for the
Christmas season weeks beforehand. Many retailers open very early (typically 5am) and offer
doorbuster deals and
loss leaders to draw people to their stores. Although Black Friday, as the first shopping day after Thanksgiving, has served as the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season at least since the start of the modern
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the term "Black Friday" has been traced back only to the
1970s. "Black Friday" was originally so named because of the heavy traffic on that day, although most contemporary uses of the term refer instead to it as the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit).
The news media frequently refer to Black Friday as the busiest retail shopping day of the year, but this is not always accurate. While it has been one of the busiest days in terms of customer traffic,
[1][2] in terms of actual sales volume, from 1993 through 2001 Black Friday was usually the fifth to tenth busiest day.
[3] In 2002 and 2004, however, Black Friday ranked second place.
[4] The busiest retail shopping day of the year in the United States (in terms of both sales and customer traffic) usually has been the Saturday before Christmas.
[5] In 2003 and 2005, however, Black Friday actually did reach first place.
[6]
In some cities it is not uncommon to see shoppers lined up hours before stores with big sales open. Once inside, the stores shoppers often rush and grab, as many stores have only a few of the big draw items. Electronics and popular toys are often the most sought-after items and may be sharply discounted. Because of the shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, many choose to stay home and avoid the hectic shopping experience. The local media often will cover the event, mentioning how early the shoppers began lining up at various stores and providing video of the shoppers standing in line and later leaving with their purchased items. Traditionally Black Friday sales were intended for those shopping for Christmas gifts. For some particularly popular items, some people shop at these sales in order to get deep discounts on items they can then resell, typically online.